Such Sweet Sorrow
by EllaKnight22
Summary: Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Troyella!
1. Tears at Sunset

**Title: **Such Sweet Sorrow  
**Author: **EllaKnight22  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!  
**Rating: **T  
**Pairing: **Troyella!!!  
**Summary: **Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Who is the young man? Story told through flashbacks which are in italics. Mix of Angst/Tragedy/Romance/Fluff.

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The last little specks of amber light illuminated the misty November clouds as a cold breeze began to swirl around the city. An abandoned rooftop stood still as day gave way to night and the orange glow slowly began to fade. The stillness of the evening was broken as a heavy door was pushed open revealing a small figure. The woman let the door fall behind her as she shakily moved over to the edge of the roof, steadying herself on a railing.

With one hand holding her up and the other clutching her face she finally let go of her control and allowed the tears to fall forcefully from her brown eyes. Dark curls across her face were soaked in her tears as cries escaped her throat. Gabriella was broken.

She had kept it together for so long, she had to, it was her job. She had to be strong for everyone around her, for the people who relied upon her. But here, now, on her own, in the quiet of the rooftop she could let go. She could give into the sorrow that was crushing her from the inside and allow it to wash over her and take hold of her completely. It gave her the release she needed and she almost welcomed it.

It had been his eyes that finally got to her, splitting her heart in two. The way he looked at her longingly, pleading with her to understand and apologizing at the same time. He didn't need to say anything, even if he could it would have been irrelevant. She knew what he was trying to tell her. After all these years together words were not needed.

Gabi lowered herself onto the cold floor and wrapped her shawl around her tightly as sobs continued to shake her body. She just couldn't face him anymore, she couldn't face the reality of what was happening. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander to a different time, a different place...

-  
--  
---

_**April, 2017**_

_...Gabi lay on the bed smiling contentedly, skimming her magazine as she flicked from page to page. It was 12.30am but she was too restless to sleep. _

_"What do you think of the name 'Isabella'?" she cheerfully asked her husband of almost 4 years without taking her eyes off the page. The still form of Troy beside her didn't respond. Impatiently she turned to him rolling her eyes, "Troy" she said a little louder. _

_The sleeping figure still failed to respond. Gabi placed the magazine on the bed beside her and rolled over closer to her husband. "Troy!" she said loudly in his ear. _

_The once sleeping man awoke with a jerk and sleepily turned around to look at the person who had awoken him. "What is it?" he groggily replied. _

_She giggled at him through his haze. "What do you think of the name Isabella?" she repeated. Troy closed his eyes and groaned as he buried his head in his pillow. _

_Gabi ignored his blatant disinterest in the topic and carried on. "Do you like it?" she queried. _

_Troy, realizing he would have to make some response to appease his wife mumbled an "mmhmm" in approval before focusing on returning to his sleep. _

_"Or how about 'Ava', do you like that?" she asked as she returned to her magazine. Troy was not listening but he made the same "mmhmm" response as before._

_Gabi smiled and piped up again "How about 'Grace'?" she gushed. Troy mumbled again. This time Gabriella noticed that he wasn't really listening. _

_She put the magazine down again and turned to face him. "How about 'Gertrude'?" she asked mischievously, trying to sound serious. _

_"mmhmm" Troy responded again. _

_"Troy!" she said loudly. Troy stirred once more and took a deep breath "I love it...now can you please go to sleep?" he begged. _

_Gabriella stared at her tired husband, his hair was tousled and he was clutching the pillow even closer to his head, his ocean blue eyes shut tightly, willing himself back to sleep. She smiled at the sight before her. Slowly she leaned in and gently kissed him on the lips. Troy instantly relaxed under her touch and opened his eyes as she pulled away. He watched as Gabi lay there on her side with her hand propping up her head smiling lovingly at him. _

_A quizzical look came across his face. "Gertrude??" he asked in disbelief._

_Gabi giggled and nodded her head "Oh yeah" she said jokingly. _

_Troy smiled and leaned in as he slowly kissed her on the lips. The kiss grew after a few seconds and he brought his hand up to rest on her hip as she ran a hand through his messy hair. Eventually they pulled apart and Gabi scooted closer to him, resting her head on his chest as he held her. _

_"We don't even know if it's a girl yet" Troy pointed out. _

_Gabi shook her head "It's a girl" she responded resolutely. _

_Troy placed his other hand lovingly over her almost flat stomach and looked down at his wife who was smiling at him. _

_"You know I'm right" she told him teasingly. _

_Troy planted a kiss on her forehead and whispered in her ear "You're always right" he replied jokingly. _

_She turned around and kissed him passionately on the lips, her hands softly caressing his bare chest. Troy's hands fell to the sides of her hips and he gently guided her round so she was lying on her back. Their lips parted and he planted a trail of soft kisses down her neck. She quivered under his touch and arched her head back to give him more room. As he returned to her lips she weaved her arms around his neck and ran her nails along his skin sending shivers down his spine. Their tongues dueled longingly as the passion between them grew. _

_Suddenly Gabriella pulled back and caught her breath, staring him in the eyes. "I'm tired now, let's go to sleep" she said in a serious voice, teasing him relentlessly. _

_Troy's eyes went wide as she rolled over out from under him and began to get off the bed. A smile began to play on his lips. "Oh you did not just do that..." he said, pretending to reprimand her. _

_She giggled as he reached out and swung his arm around her waist pulling her back down and tickling her. _

_"Troy!" she squeaked as she tried to catch her breath. Grabbing a pillow she swatted him but it was useless. _

_"Mommy! Daddy!" a voice called out from the doorway. Troy and Gabi stopped play fighting and turned their attention to the 3 year old who had just entered their room. _

_Gabi pulled herself into a sitting position on the bed as Troy reached his hands out to pick the little boy up. He ran over to Troy and was lifted onto the bed. _

_"What's wrong sweetie? Did you have a bad dream again?" Gabi asked her son as he launched himself into her arms and clung onto her. She stroked the back of his head softly as she held him._

_"Yeah...monsters!" he cried, burying his tear soaked face into her chest. _

_"Hey, it's ok little guy, do you want daddy to come make sure there's no monsters in your room?" Troy asked the little boy. _

_The toddler nodded his head and reached for Troy. Gabi quickly kissed him on the forehead before Troy lifted him up. "Night night, Zac" Gabriella called as she watched Troy carry their son down the hallway..._

_---  
--  
- _

…"Aren't you cold?" a voice called from the heavy door jolting her out of her reverie. Gabi sighed and hugged her knees closer to her chest, not bothering to respond. The young man closed the door behind him and slowly walked over to the shivering form sitting in the corner of the rooftop.

"They're all looking for you" he told her solemnly as he leaned on the railing and looked out at the horizon, the last trace of sunlight glowing like burning embers in the sky.

"I'm sorry" was all she could say, not much above a whisper.

The young man had tired eyes, it looked like he had been crying but Gabi didn't notice this.

"I just don't think I'm ready to go back down, not yet" she told him honestly.

There was a long pause. "Me neither" he finally responded.

Gabi looked up and locked eyes with the male, registering the pain in his eyes before motioning for him to come closer. He welcomed the invitation and sat down beside Gabi who hugged him tightly.

"What are you thinking about?" he queried after clearing the lump from his throat.

Gabi looked distant and smiled "…the good times" she responded.

"Tell me?" he requested.

Gabi smiled and reached for his hand, clasping it with her own before letting her mind take her back to a happier time…

_-  
--  
---_

**_December, 2009_**

_…Gabriella sat in her room with a book open in front of her. Her eyes glanced over to her phone and then back to her book, then back to the phone and back to the book. It was impossible to concentrate on her work. She looked over to her clock - It was 6pm and the last day of term so classes were finished for Christmas break. Most students were busy packing up their things and beginning to head home for the holidays but Gabi wasn't flying back to Albuquerque for another two days. _

_Gabriella was a second year student at Harvard University. It was a big step moving so far away but it was also an opportunity she couldn't turn down. Her mother's company had transferred her to New York but both had agreed to spend Christmas in Albuquerque with the Boltons. _

_The most difficult part of Gabriella's life so far had been leaving Troy. He had gotten a scholarship to UCLA and although neither of them wanted to live so far apart they couldn't turn the offers down. Troy's scholarship meant the world to him, especially one at UCLA. It had been his dream. They vowed to keep in contact religiously and meet up at Christmas and summer vacations. It hadn't been easy but they were determined to make it work. Not a day went by without a phone call or a txt message being exchanged - Except today. Today was different. And today was meant to be special._

_Gabriella grabbed her cell phone from her desk and held it in her hand, staring at it, willing it to ring. She was sure he would have called her by now. _

_She was broken out of her trance as she heard her room door open and her roommate enter. _

_"Hey Gabs!" Emma said breezily as she munched on an apple._

_Gabi looked at her forlornly and acknowledged her presence. Emma registered the fact that Gabi was upset and closed the door behind her. "Don't tell me, he's still not called?" she asked in disbelief. _

_Gabriella shook her head as tears began to fall from her eyes. Emma rushed over and enveloped her friend in a hug. "He'll call Gabi, you know he will!" she assured the brunette._

_Gabi looked up at her through her tears. "No he won't, he's forgotten, he's forgotten my birthday! We've been together almost four years and he's forgotten my birthday…I knew this was going to happen! The distance thing is too much. He doesn't love me anymore!" she wailed as more tears fell. _

_Emma rubbed her friends back in concern. This was not good. She had never seen Gabi like this before. "Well maybe something's happened, maybe he's lost his phone or he's stuck somewhere or something…" she said, attempting to calm Gabi down but it only made it worse._

_Gabriella stopped crying and sat up straight, looking at her friend with worry on her face. "You're right, what if something's happened?? What if something's happened to Troy??" she said panicking._

_Emma's eyes went wide "No, no, no I'm sure he's fine!! Just, give it a little while longer before you start planning the funeral ok?" she joked._

_Gabi wasn't amused. She picked up her book and pretended to read it again. Emma shuffled back to her side of the room and finished packing the remaining items into her suitcase. "You wanna grab a quick birthday hot chocolate before I leave?" she queried trying to lighten the atmosphere._

_Gabi shook her head and looked back at her phone. "Sorry I'm not really in the mood" she responded sadly._

_A wry smile appeared on Emma's face as she turned around hoping Gabi wouldn't notice. Emma's phone suddenly beeped from its place on the bed and she hurried to open the txt message. Gabi looked on in annoyance, wishing it was her phone that was receiving a message. _

_"Oh I almost forgot" Emma began slightly unconvincingly "I bumped into one of your classmates, Maddie, on my way home, she said that she missed a lecture last week and wanted to copy your notes before you left. She told me to ask you if you could pop over with them tonight" the girl immediately returned to her packing and avoided eye contact with Gabriella. If she had seen her face she would have known she was lying. Luckily for Emma, Gabi had too much on her mind to question anyone else's behavior._

_"Which class?" Gabriella asked, sighing. _

_Emma hesitated as she made a face to the wall. "Umm, Microbiology?" she said and held her breath._

_Gabi grabbed her jacket and a folder from her desk. "Ok, thanks. I won't be long. I'll be back before you leave" she miserably stated while throwing on her huge red winter jacket. _

_Emma breathed a sigh of relief then turned to face her friend. "Ok, but just in case you're not, have an awesome Christmas!!" she squealed excitedly while hugging Gabi._

_Gabi smiled and laughed at her friends' enthusiasm. "Em, seriously, I'll be 10 minutes" she said as she walked out the door. _

_Gabi shuffled down the corridor and outside the building. The snow was falling lightly. She walked through the fresh snow leaving a path of footprints behind her as she headed through the wooded park. She breathed in the icy air as she strolled along. Her jacket drowned her tiny frame and she snuggled against the fur collar as she shivered. _

_A rustling noise from behind her brought her to attention and she stopped suddenly, turning around to find the source. The stillness of the evening remained and she could no longer hear the noise. Shrugging it off, she continued along her path. No more than 5 seconds later she heard the same rustling noise, this time it was louder. She stopped dead in her tracks again, this time a little more worried. She turned around and stared at the path behind her. No one was there. Just as she was about to turn back around two strong arms engulfed her in a warm hug from behind. _

_"Missed me?" a voice asked the surprised girl. Gabi's face lit up immediately and she whipped around to come face to face with Troy. "Troy!!" she squealed as she threw her arms around his neck. He laughed and picked her up, swinging her around. She hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go "It's so good to see you!!" she excitedly told him._

_Troy rested his head on her shoulder as he stroked her hair "I've missed you so much" he honestly replied as he hugged her back. The pair pulled back and smiled at each other. Troy cupped her face with his hand and caressed her cheek with his thumb. She let out a contended sigh and briefly closed her eyes. Troy stared at her face as if he was committing her features to memory. He looked between her eyes and her lips. Slowly Gabi leaned in and kissed him. It was slow at first as they each appreciated the feeling of being with each other again. After a few seconds their kiss grew passionately. Troy deepened the kiss and placed one arm in the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. When they eventually pulled away their foreheads touched and they stared into each others' eyes again smiling while catching their breath._

_"I can't believe you came out here" she said, still not being able to take it in. "I would have seen you in two days anyway" she told him._

_Troy smiled "I know, but I couldn't wait that long. Besides, I wanted to see you for your birthday and this way we get to spend a couple of days together without our family" he explained. Gabi smiled widely at him._

_"So I'm guessing my friend doesn't need these notes?" Gabi questioned. Troy laughed as he swung his arm around her and guided her back in the direction of her dorm. _

_"You're smart. See that's why you're at Harvard" he teased. _

_"So where are we going?" she asked curiously. _

_"You'll see" he replied as he led her round towards the back of her building. They approached a secluded area surrounded by fir trees covered in snow. As they walked into the small clearing the trees were suddenly illuminated with fairy lights. Gabi spun around looking at the lights in wonder._

_As Troy took her by the hand he noticed she had tears in her eyes. "Gabi, what's wrong?" he asked in concern. She smiled up at him lovingly. "Absolutely nothing" she said as she leaned in and slowly kissed him. _

_Troy pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Happy Birthday, Gabriella" he said as he pulled a small box out from his pocket, handing it to her. Gabi's eyes went wide as she fingered the box. _

_"It's not what you think it is" Troy quickly blurted out. "I mean, I know you said you wouldn't want to get engaged until after college...so just think of this as…a pre-engagement ring... a promise ring" he explained. Gabi opened the ring box and stared at the gold ring inside. It was engraved with the word "kuuipo". Tears slowly began to fall from Gabi's eyes and her hand which was holding the box started to shake. _

_"It means 'sweetheart'. And it's my promise to you. That we'll always be together" Troy said nervously. He took the ring out of the box and carefully placed it on her finger. _

_"I have one too" he then told her, holding up his hand to reveal a slightly different silver ring. _

_Gabi remained silent as more tears fell from her eyes. Her gaze was fixated on the ring Troy had placed on her finger. Troy started to become nervous. "Well, do you like it?" he hesitantly queried. _

_Gabi laughed weakly through her tears and looked up at Troy "I love it!" she exclaimed, putting her hand on his cheek. _

_Troy wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I love you" he said._

_Gabi smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I love you too, Troy. More than you know" she confessed._

_Music began to play in the background, interrupting them from their moment. Gabi looked confused. _

_"May I have this dance?" Troy requested, holding out his hand to her. _

_Gabi laughed and slipped her hand into his waiting one. "Of course" she whispered…_

_---  
--  
- _

…"I still can't believe you guys managed to stay together all those years. I mean you hardly saw each other." the male said, breaking the silence after Gabriella finished the story.

Gabi sighed. "It wasn't easy that's for sure. But I loved him…and he loved me. It was meant to be" she said distantly. Gabi raised her hand and stared at the rings on her fingers. She was still wearing the promise ring as well as her engagement ring and her wedding ring. "He made a promise. A promise that we would always be together." she choked out, fighting back the tears. "And now he's giving up on that" she said painfully.

"No! no it's not like that, he loves you, you know that!" the male tried to explain. He had never seen Gabriella like this before and it scared him. He awkwardly hugged her, trying to calm her down, but she was inconsolable. Her whole world was crashing down around her and there was nothing she could do about it.

The pair sat on the rooftop not knowing what to do - neither of them able to face the reality of what was going on in the building below…

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Who is Gabi talking to? Any ideas? Please leave feedback!! Tell me if it sucks and if I should continue or not! I already have the first four chapters written and the whole story is planned. Please let me know what you think!! xoxo


	2. The Things We Do For Love

**Title: **Such Sweet Sorrow  
**Author: **EllaKnight22  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!  
**Rating: **T  
**Pairing: **Troyella!!!  
**Summary: **Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Who is the young man? Story told through flashbacks. Mix of Angst/Tragedy/Romance/Fluff.

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews so far! Nope, nobody got it right! Read on to find out who Gabi is talking to...and don't worry if you're confused!! Just go with the flow, you'll probably be confused for a while, if you read between the lines you should be able to guess what's happening but all will be revealed...eventually...!

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After a while Gabi's tears eventually subsided. She felt guilty when she let other people see her true emotions. It was getting colder on the rooftop but it didn't bother Gabriella. The feeling of being cold was distracting her as she desperately tried to block out the thought of her current situation.

The teenage boy beside her breathed a sigh of relief as Gabriella appeared calmer. He desperately tried to change the subject, not wanting to upset her again.

"So tell me more, what happened when you graduated. Was that when dad signed for the Lakers?" he queried.

Gabi looked at her son and a small smile played on her lips. "Yeah, just after college graduation. Although, he almost turned them down" she confessed.

Zac's eyes went wide. "He almost turned down…the Lakers???" he exclaimed.

Gabi laughed quietly. "Yeah…for me" …

-

--

---

_**July, 2012**_

…_A basketball glided swiftly through the air and fell, perfectly positioned through the old ragged net in Troy's backyard. It bounced a few times before being retrieved by its owner. Troy's head was in a spin. He had to make one of the biggest decisions of his life within 48 hours and he was driving himself crazy about it. Any other time he had a problem he would go straight to Gabriella, she always had an answer and an overwhelming ability to calm him down no matter what was bothering him. She was his rock. But on this occasion he couldn't go to her. She was part of the problem. And so instead he did the only other thing he could do at a time like this - he played basketball. _

_It was summertime and Troy and Gabi had just graduated from UCLA and Harvard respectively. Shortly after being reunited they had taken a long vacation to Hawaii. It had been bliss. After spending so long apart and finally knowing they wouldn't be separated again the couple felt like they didn't have a care in the world. Troy proposed to Gabi one night on the beach in Hawaii and she had instantly said yes. Now that they were engaged they were busy planning their wedding. _

_Gabi had been lucky enough to be accepted to medical school in New York. They planned to move out to NY together and live with Gabi's mom until Troy found a job and they could afford an apartment of their own. They were both full of excitement and looking forward to their wedding and their new life together. _

_Although Gabi had been spending her summer in Albuquerque with Troy, she had flown out to visit her mom for a week and to start making arrangements for when they moved in. It was the day he drove her to the airport that he received the call. It should have been the most exciting phone call of his life, it was his boyhood fantasy, but instead it presented him with a problem…should he follow his heart? Or his dreams?_

_The Lakers wanted Troy. He had been invited to LA for a meeting with the coach and the board and to have a medical. The meeting was tomorrow. Troy's dad was ecstatic, he had never been so proud in his entire life but Troy was depressed. He desperately wanted to be happy and celebrate but he couldn't, because he knew that he would ultimately have to pick between The Lakers and Gabi. _

_He longed to tell her about it, about how he felt. He knew that part of the reason he was feeling bad was because he was keeping something so huge from her and Troy and Gabi told each other everything. But he knew that if he did tell her then she would be placed in the same situation as him and he couldn't do that to her. _

_Footsteps behind him brought him out of the argument he was having with himself in his head. Troy's dad joined him on the court, smiling widely._

"_Lookin' good" he praised his son. "Shoot like that tomorrow and that contract will be yours!" he exclaimed excitedly. Troy couldn't make eye contact with his dad. Instead he just grabbed the ball and continued shooting into the net. _

_Seeing the look of anguish on Troy's face, the expression on the father's face fell. "Don't tell me you're still worrying about what Gabriella will say. I know you guys had plans but technicalities don't matter right now. You need to get your head in the game, Troy!" his father sternly advised._

_Troy spun around in annoyance. "Gabriella is not a technicality, dad" he replied._

"_I didn't mean it like that son, I just meant that this is your dream! This is a golden opportunity. Things like this don't come along twice and I'm sure you and Gabi will find a way to work around it. I mean look at the last four years, you guys managed to stay together all this time, I'm sure you'll survive the distance a while longer. Med school won't last forever, Gabriella can move out to LA when she's done." the older man said nonchalantly. _

_Troy forcefully threw the ball into the net and faced his father. "It's another four years! The last four was hard enough, I don't think I can do that again…I don't think Gabriella can do that again. We're supposed to be getting married next year!" Troy said looking at the ground._

"_She loves you Troy. She'll find a way to make it work. Talk to her" the older man urged._

_Troy shook his head sternly. "No. No I won't do that to her. Going to med school is her dream. She's so excited. I just can't do that to her. I can't screw everything up for her like that. She'd either give it up or leave me…and I can't ask her to put our relationship on hold again just so I can play basketball." Troy sadly admitted._

_Troy's dad was beginning to get frustrated and he desperately tried to remain calm around his love struck son. "Troy, listen to me. This is the Lakers ok? The NBA. You can't say no to them. If you do you're gonna spend your whole life regretting it and thinking 'what if?' Just go to LA, go meet the coach and go for the medical. In the end they may not even want you. So please, just go and see what happens. If it's a yes then you can think about it then, OK?" he advised._

_Troy stared intently at his dad, thinking it over. "Ok, I'll go…but no promises" he reluctantly agreed. A wide smile appeared on Jack Bolton's face._

_-----_

_Troy exhaustedly flopped down on the hotel room bed and sighed heavily, staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day of tryouts, meetings and medicals that had finally come to an end. Tomorrow he was meeting the board and his lawyer to discuss and sign a contract, or so they thought. Now that everything had gone so well it seemed even harder for Troy to turn his back on the Lakers but deep down, no matter how much he wanted this, Gabriella was more important to him. He dreaded explaining this to his father._

_Suddenly his phone began ringing and Troy reached for it. Gabriella's smiling face greeted him on the screen as he answered the call. _

_"Gabriella" he said as he stood up from the bed and walked over to the window._

_"Hey you" she said smiling down the phone. The sound of her voice momentarily cheered him up. "How are you?" she asked._

_"Great, you?" Troy responded lying._

_"I'm OK...I miss you" she replied honestly._

_Troy sat down on the bed again and sighed. "I miss you more" he tiredly replied._

_"Are you sure you're OK? You don't sound it" she queried._

_Damn it he thought. Why did she know him so well? Troy took a deep breath and tried to sound more chirpy "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just tired" he replied hoping she would believe him._

_"OK, well I just wanted to call and say hi before I went to sleep. I'll be back in two days, I can't wait to see you again" she said softly._

_"I know, I can't wait either" Troy told her._

_"Love you" Gabi breathed._

_Troy longed to tell her everything but he couldn't do that to her. "Love you too" he replied before hanging up the phone._

_Troy dropped his phone on the bed beside him before burying his face in his hands. Talking to Gabriella reminded him why he was doing this. Resolutely he picked up his phone and called his dad._

_-----_

_Troy's dad had lay awake all night tossing and turning. He couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with Troy. The thought of his only son turning down The Lakers killed him. It had been his dream for himself and one he had instilled in Troy from a young age. How could he be handed such a great opportunity and then turn it down so quickly? It wasn't something he could easily understand. Angrily, he sat up in bed and looked to the night stand. It was 6:00AM. He knew there was only one thing he could do and although he knew Troy would be mad he had to at least try it. Sighing loudly he got out of bed, careful not to disturb his sleeping wife, and made his way downstairs. He grabbed the kitchen phone and phone book and sat down at the table. Scanning the pages he quickly found Gabriella's cell phone number and slowly and carefully entered it into the keypad. As the ringing began in his ear he silently prayed that the young girl would understand and make Troy change his mind._

_"Hello?" was Gabi's sleepy reply as she was awoken by the call._

_"Gabriella, it's Troy's father, Jack" he said seriously._

_Gabriella was instantly awake, thinking something had happened to Troy._

_"Mr. Bolton, what's happened, is Troy ok?" she worriedly asked._

_"Yeah he's fine...but there's something you should know...Troy is in LA" Jack began. _

_Gabriella was confused, she had just spoken to him the night before, had he lied to her? "He's where?" she questioned worriedly._

_"In LA...and I think he's about to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life" Jack told her._

_Gabi shook her head, desperately trying to make sense of it all. "I'm sorry, I don't understand." she replied._

_Jack took a deep breath. "He had a tryout with the Lakers yesterday and they want him. He's supposed to sign the contract today but he's going in there to turn them down...because of you." Jack explained, hoping his son would forgive him._

_Gabriella was silent for a moment as she processed all the information. "I don't get it, this is huge, why wouldn't he tell me?" she asked as she furrowed her brow in confusion._

_"Because he wants to be with you. Because he loves you. Now that you've been accepted to med school in New York he feels that it wouldn't be fair on you to know about the Lakers. So he was just going to turn them down. He's scared that if he goes off to live in LA and you're in New York then he'll lose you. And I'm telling you this because I know that you love my son and I know that you want what's best for him." Jack finished. He was met with silence on the other end of the line as Gabi bit her lip. After a moment she gulped hard. "Thank you" she responded before hanging up the phone._

_She sat on her bed for a moment staring at the phone in her hands, her mind frantically replaying the phone call. After a minute of gathering her thoughts she jumped out of bed and began to dress as quickly as she could. It was a lot to take in but Gabi knew how much this would mean to Troy and she loved him even more for being so selfless and putting her first. _

_A few hours later a panicked Gabi ran through the airport as fast as her legs would carry her. The only luggage she brought was her handbag. She barely made it to the gate in time. As she boarded the plane and took her seat she prayed that she wouldn't be too late._

_-----_

_Cold, running water flowed steadily down the drain as Troy watched it pass by, mesmerized. He cupped his hands into the flow of the water and splashed it onto his face as he stood up and faced himself, eye to eye in the bathroom mirror. The face staring back at him was full of sadness. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and his stomach was churning. Second thoughts tempted and teased his mind as he struggled to cope with his final decision. He was due to meet the board in 10 minutes and right now he couldn't face them. _

_The nagging thought of regret that would surely follow plagued his mind as his fathers' words to him the night before replayed over and over in his head. Could he really turn down this opportunity? He was desperate to accept but anytime he allowed himself to think about it he remembered Gabriella. He had to be strong and do this for her, for the both of them._

_Resolutely he stood up straight and grabbed a towel to dry his face. Troy took a deep breath and nervously straightened his tie before turning around and heading out the bathroom door. _

_As Troy entered the bright and busy hallway he was greeted by his lawyer who was carrying a heavy briefcase. The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries as Troy reluctantly looked at the open door of the board room in front of him._

_"Shall we?" Troy's lawyer asked, motioning towards the door._

_Troy sighed. "Um, listen, I didn't mean to waste your time but this is going to be quick. I'm not going to accept their offer" Troy managed to blurt out._

_The well dressed man furrowed his brow in confusion. "You've not even heard their offer yet, Troy" he reminded him._

_"I know, but it's not about that, you see no matter how great that contract is my fiancé is more important to me and I can't have both so I'm just gonna go in there, thank everyone and turn them down." Troy explained sincerely._

_There was silence as Troy's lawyer gave him a quizzical look. "You do realise what you're turning down here?" Troy simply nodded as he gulped to clear the lump that was forming in his throat. _

_"And you've thought long and hard about this? You're sure this is what you want?" he enquired further, needing confirmation._

_"Yes" Troy replied._

_Troy's lawyer nodded and followed him into the board room. They greeted the officials and sat down at the long table. _

_The balding man at the top of the table cleared his throat and addressed Troy. "Well Mr. Bolton, on behalf of everyone here we'd like to thank you for coming all the way here to LA to meet with us yesterday. I think you'll find it's been worth your while" he said smiling as another man passed a thick stack of paper to Troy's lawyer. He briefly glanced at the front cover of the contract before looking towards Troy._

_Troy swallowed hard and sighed. "Thank you sir, umm first of all I'd like to thank everyone here for giving me a chance, it means a lot to me. But the truth is-"_

_Troy was cut off suddenly by the door opening loudly. Everyone in the room turned to stare at the petite dark haired girl who was catching her breath hanging onto the doorknob. A smartly dressed woman was hot on her heels behind her. "Miss, I'm sorry but you can't go in there!" she shouted angrily._

"_Gabriella??" Troy exclaimed._

_Gabi took a deep breath before entering the room and grabbing Troy's arm. "We need to talk" she said._

_Troy stared at her in disbelief before turning to the inquisitive faces around him and smiling apologetically. "Will you excuse me please?" he queried before leaving the room with Gabriella._

_They walked a little down the hall before she turned to him and touched his arm gently. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked._

"_I couldn't. How did you find out?" Troy asked._

"_Your father. Why couldn't you tell me?" she replied. _

"_I'll kill him. There was no point, we're going to New York. I'm not signing the contract." He quickly explained._

"_Oh yes you are!" Gabriella corrected him._

_Troy couldn't comprehend her response. "No, no I can't. I can't not be with you for another four years" he stated miserably._

"_I will be with you, here, in LA" she told him smiling._

"_But what about med school?" Troy asked in confusion._

_Gabriella took a step closer and found his hand, entwining her fingers around his. "There's med schools here in LA too, Troy. It wasn't easy but I phoned the admissions office this morning and faxed in my transcripts. There's a couple of places left and I have an interview tomorrow morning. They pretty much told me I'm guaranteed a place after being accepted in New York." She explained as her smile widened._

_Troy was in shock. He stared at her open mouthed as he took it all in. So you're coming here?? To LA? And I can play for the Lakers?!" he excitedly exclaimed. _

_Gabriella beamed up at him, giggling at his excitement. Troy picked Gabi up and spun her around quickly. She let out a yelp and he set her down, leaning in so their heads touched. Troy smiled widely. "You're amazing, do you know that?" he told her softly._

_Gabi leaned in and gently brushed her lips against his. She pulled back and gazed into his eyes before once again finding his hand and entwining her fingers. "Come on, let's go back inside and sign that contract" she eagerly suggested as the pair walked hand in hand back into the board room…_

_---_

_--_

_-_

… "So was dad mad at grandpa?" Zac enquired as his mother finished the story.

Gabriella laughed weakly. "No, he thanked him" she said looking towards her son.

Zac smiled, he loved hearing stories about the past, especially happy ones and especially at a time like this…

----------

Still confused? You should be! I promise it will make sense...maybe after chapter 6...lol. The first few flashbacks are basically just telling you their life story. Please continue to guess what's going on, I like to know whether I'm being too obvious or too subtle! Much more will be revealed in the next chapter. PLEASE review!!!! Contructive crit welcomed!!! xoxo


	3. Fatherhood

**Title: **Such Sweet Sorrow  
**Author: **EllaKnight22  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!  
**Rating: **T  
**Pairing: **Troyella!!!  
**Summary: **Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Who is the young man? Story told through flashbacks. Mix of Angst/Tragedy/Romance/Fluff.

A/N: Thanks again to everyone who took the time to review!! Reviews make me write faster!!!

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"Wow, I can't imagine what it would have been like if dad hadn't been a Laker…" Zac said, musing over what he had just been told.

Gabi smiled. "I can" she said confidently.

Her son cast her a quizzical look. "Do you wish you hadn't convinced him to sign the contract?" he queried, confused.

Gabriella sighed. "Not exactly…but when your dad was playing for the Lakers he didn't have much time for anything else. He didn't have much time-"

"for me" Zac finished solemnly…

-

--

---

_**December, 2014… **_

…_Gabriella excitedly pulled into the parking lot at the stadium and quickly unfastened her seat belt. She whipped around and smiled at the baby in the car seat behind her. The seven month old smiled and giggled at his beaming mother._

"_We're here Zac! Are we going to see dada?" she prompted him._

_Zac giggled and drooled as he locked eyes with Gabi. "Dada" he said after a long pause. _

_Gabi feigned astonishment and gasped, wide eyed. "You're such a clever baby boy!" she praised him as she jumped out of the car and opened the door to the back seat. She swiftly unclipped him from his car seat and carefully lifted him from the car, kissing him on the nose before holding him against her shoulder. _

_Gabriella hurriedly made her way into the large building and headed straight for the basketball court. As she neared the double doors she was stopped by a tall, burly man. "Hey, sorry mam, it's a closed practice." He called to her from behind._

_Gabriella spun around and met eyes with the man. "Oh, I'm sorry I just wanted to-"_

"_-Hey you're Mrs. Bolton right?" he said backing off. Gabi smiled politely and nodded her head. _

"_Sorry, you'll have to wait out here 'til the end of practice. Coach doesn't want any interruptions." He told her apologetically._

_Gabi looked disappointed and shifted her gurgling son to her other shoulder. "But this is really important, I promise I'll only be 5 minutes, I just really need to see Troy" she said pleadingly. _

_The security guard pondered this for a moment, instantly feeling guilty at how upset Gabriella looked. "Ok, I'll let you in but you have to wait by the side until they take a water break." He told an immediately happier Gabi. She nodded her head and quietly walked through the door he was holding open for her. _

_It wasn't long before she spotted Troy on the court darting around and passing the ball to his teammates. Gabi found a seat near the back and quietly sat down. She bounced Zac on her lap trying to keep the baby quiet as she watched her husband play his favorite game. Gabriella had been to all the Lakers games supporting Troy until Zac was born and she loved watching him play._

_Not long after she had sat down the whistle blew and the coach dismissed the team for five minutes. Gabi instantly stood up and walked towards Troy. He spotted her coming and looked confused. _

"_Gabriella! Is everything ok?" he worriedly asked as she reached him, planting a soft kiss on her lips. _

_She shot him a huge smile which calmed his fears. "Everything is great! We just wanted to surprise you" she said as Troy took the baby from her arms._

_Troy kissed Zac on the forehead and smiled at him "hey man" he said engaging with the baby. Zac giggled at his father and Gabi bit her lip, waiting to see if he would repeat the word he had been saying all morning. _

"_Dada!" Zac said happily. Troy froze and met eyes with Gabriella giving her a questioning glance. _

"_Did he just say…?" he queried in wonderment. _

_Gabriella smiled and nodded excitedly. "His first word" she told him._

_Troy beamed at his giggling son and threw him up above his head. "You are so **amazing** Zac!" Troy emphasized._

_As Troy spun his son around playing with him Gabriella smiled at the sight before her. Troy rarely had a chance to spend time with Zac. He often returned home late or left for a few days when he had an away game. She missed him too as family time together was rare but she loved him and she knew that the Lakers was his dream so she stood by him._

"_Say it again buddy…say dada" Troy prompted his son, still amazed that he could say it. Zac was loving all the praise and attention and instantly repeated the word back. Troy turned to Gabi smiling widely. "Thank you so much for bringing him down here, I wouldn't want to miss this for the world" he said honestly. Gabi hugged her husband and Troy kissed her hair. _

_Gabi looked up at Troy "I was thinking, maybe we could all grab some lunch together for once, wouldn't that be nice?" she asked hopefully._

_Troy's face fell. "I'm sorry, I can't, that sounds great and I wish I could but we have an extended practice today since we have that big game tomorrow."_

_Gabriella tried to hide her disappointment since it wasn't exactly Troy's fault. She suddenly noticed the coach looking annoyed. "Bolton! Break is over!" he yelled._

"_It's fine…maybe you could try and get home a little early tonight?" she questioned him. _

_Troy handed Zac back to Gabriella with an apologetic look on his face. "I doubt it, I'll probably be back quite late, around 11.30" he told her._

_She nodded and sighed. "Well I'll probably be asleep, Zac and I have a baby class early in the morning"_

"_Bolton!!" the coach yelled again becoming frustrated._

_Troy turned around quickly "Coming!" he yelled back. "OK, well I'll try not to wake you" he replied sadly._

_Gabriella nodded awkwardly and Troy quickly kissed her and Zac briefly before running off to join the team…_

_---_

_--_

_-_

…Gabi smiled weakly at the 16 year old in front of her. He was mature beyond his years. The pair were now standing against the railing looking at the stars in the night sky.

"He loved you, he loved both of us, he just loved his team too. They put a lot of pressure on him" she tried to explain. "When your dad left the Lakers we were finally a proper family."

Zac contemplated this for a moment. "True, but I kinda enjoy having a famous dad. He wouldn't be anywhere near as cool if it wasn't for him being an ex-Lakers star" he joked.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Well I for one will never forget the day he finally realized what was really important..."

-

--

---

_**October, 2017**_

… "_And they all lived happily ever after, the end" Gabi read aloud to her son. She closed the book and watched Zac yawn sleepily, fighting to stay awake. "Night night sweetie" she whispered._

_Zac forced his eyes open again "Another story!" he pleaded. _

_Troy laughed from his position on the other side of the bed and tucked his son in gently. "No way, it's time to sleep buddy, and mommy already read you a story" Troy reminded the three year old._

"_But I'm not tired!" Zac protested. Troy and Gabriella exchanged an amused look across the bed._

"_OK Zac, one more story, but a quick one and this time it's daddy's turn" Gabriella said._

_Troy smiled and began to tell his story. "Once upon a time there was a little boy who didn't want to go to sleep even though it was his bedtime…" he began. "But the little boy was very good and fell asleep and he had lots of cool dreams. And in the morning when he woke up, because he had been such a good boy there was a surprise for him!" Troy finished excitedly._

_Zac smiled widely "A new baby brother??" he asked happily. _

_Gabriella rolled her eyes and Troy laughed at his son. "You never know buddy" he said honestly. "Night, night" he said before kissing him on the forehead. _

_Gabriella kissed her son on the cheek before Troy came round to her side of the bed and helped her stand up. She was heavily pregnant and totally exhausted. As they exited their little boy's room and closed the door Gabriella turned to Troy and sighed "Well I for one hope that Zac gets his surprise. I don't know how much more of this I can take" she complained. Troy kissed her on the forehead and put an arm around her, rubbing her back while leading her downstairs. "He can't stay in there forever" he said reassuringly._

"_Excuse me?" Gabi said teasingly._

_Troy smiled wryly "Or she…" he said as his wife smiled._

_Gabi was already five days overdue and was desperate to have her baby. The only thing she was happy about was the fact that Troy had taken a week off work to be with her and help around the house. He didn't have any more games for a few days now so there was a chance he would be there for the birth – unlike last time._

_When Gabriella went into labor with Zac, Troy was in Chicago playing an away game with the Lakers. Zac came along two weeks early so neither Troy or Gabriella had been expecting him to arrive while Troy was away. Gabriella tried calling him but couldn't get in contact until after the game. Troy flew back to Los Angeles on the next available flight but by the time he got to the hospital Zac was two hours old. Gabi had been devastated that he had missed it and was determined that it wouldn't happen again. She needed his support and desperately wanted him to be with her but in the end it was her mother who was there for the birth instead._

_Troy and Gabriella huddled up on the sofa together and watched a movie. The last few days had been a rare opportunity for them to spend time together but the team coach was getting annoyed with Troy's absence. He had been warned to return to practice as soon as possible but Troy didn't want to leave Gabriella like this. Her mom had offered to come and help out with Zac and the housework but Troy knew that Gabriella would much rather it was him. He had enjoyed the past week so much. Even though he had done all the chores, waited on Gabi hand and foot and taken care of Zac he loved spending time with his family and was beginning to realize just how much he missed out on. _

_As the pair relaxed in front of the TV Gabi drifted off to sleep in Troy's arms. Troy noticed that Gabi was asleep as the movie ended and he warily got up from the sofa in an attempt not to wake her. Gabriella hadn't been able to get much sleep recently but at that moment she looked so peaceful. Carefully, Troy picked her up from the sofa and carried her up to their bedroom. As he lay her on the bed and covered her lightly with the sheet she began to stir. Troy kissed her on the cheek and climbed into bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her as he drifted off to sleep._

_-----_

_A few hours later Gabi awoke feeling uncomfortable. She untangled herself from Troy's arms and made her way to the bathroom. The pain she was feeling disappeared shortly after and she returned to bed. Not long after she felt the pain again and suddenly realized what was happening. It was only 3am. She looked over towards her sleeping husband and decided not to wake him. She knew that it would be hours yet before she had to go into the hospital and so she tried to get some more rest. For the next hour she drifted in and out of sleep as the easy contractions came and went. Eventually she got up again, got dressed and went downstairs. After packing a small bag of toys, books and snacks for Zac and making sure her hospital bag was ready she watched some TV to pass the time. Gabi felt much calmer this time around knowing that Troy was upstairs and not thousands of miles away._

_Troy awoke alone at 7am and looked around the room for Gabriella. He called her name but there was no reply. Troy made his way downstairs and found Gabriella lying on the sofa, her eyes shut tight and her hands clenching a cushion firmly in her grip. His eyes went wide in panic._

"_Gabriella!! What's wrong?!?" he yelled worriedly as he rushed over and kneeled beside her. _

_Gabi took his hand and squeezed it while she breathed out heavily and opened her eyes, the wave of pain beginning to fade. She tentatively smiled up at him and released her grip on his hand. "Morning" she said calmly. "It's time" she nervously told him._

_Troy immediately began to panic. "Why didn't you wake me?!" he gasped. "We have to get you to the hospital now!" he said in alarm as he quickly grabbed her hospital bag._

_Gabriella laughed briefly and held out her hand to him. He was immediately by her side taking her hand in his. "This is why I didn't wake you!" she said smiling. "There was no point going into the hospital in the middle of the night, they would have sent us home. But I think it's about time we get going now" she told him honestly, a hint of worry in her voice._

_Troy ran a hand through his messy hair. "The middle of the night?!? Gabi how long have you been like this?" he asked incredulously._

"_A few hours" she informed him, biting her lip._

_Troy looked at her like she was insane. "Gabi come on we have to go now!" he half yelled at her._

_Gabriella squeezed his hand firmly to get his attention. "Troy! Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. Aren't you forgetting something?? Our son? Your clothes?? First of all you have to go and get dressed, then you have to get Zac dressed and then you have to call my mom and let her know that we're coming over to drop him off" she said slowly, making sure he was listening._

_Troy nodded his head feverishly. "Ok, I can do that. I'll be right back, don't move" he told her as he ran off. _

_Five minutes later Troy dashed downstairs with a confused Zac in his arms, both of them had morning hair. He rushed towards Gabi and put Zac down on the floor._

"_Are you ok baby??" he asked in concern as Gabi began to lift herself up from her position on the couch. _

"_Yes I'm fine, we're both fine, stop worrying!" she told him as he helped her to sit up._

"_Momma! You go to hospital and bring baby back?" Zac said excitedly. _

_Gabriella smiled sweetly at her son and engulfed him in a hug. "Yeah sweetie. And you're gonna have a fun day at grandmas" she told him. _

_Troy was getting more and more anxious by the second. "I called your mom, she's waiting for us, we should really get going" he said trying to hurry everything along._

_Gabi ignored him and looked her son up and down, furrowing her brow as she took in his appearance. "Troy, his t-shirt is on back to front and his shoes are on the wrong feet" she said in amusement as she lifted Zac onto her lap and began to change his shoes. _

_Troy sighed in annoyance. "It doesn't matter! Gabi we have to go!" he said anxiously._

"_It will only take a second" she shot back, beginning to get exasperated at how flustered he was. Troy groaned and picked up her bag and Zac's backpack._

_As Gabi lifted Zac's shirt over his head to turn it round she suddenly doubled over in pain as the next contraction hit her. This one had came slightly sooner than the others and was much more painful. Troy dropped everything and held Gabi as the pain swept over her. He kissed her hair and she let out a yelp as the pain took hold of her. After about 30 seconds the pain began to subside and Gabi breathed out heavily. "Ok, maybe you were right, we should go" she said apologetically. _

_Troy quickly fixed Zac's shirt and picked up the little boy who was now upset after seeing his mommy in so much pain. Tears sprung into his eyes and his bottom lip began to quiver. "Momma?" he choked out. _

_Gabriella forced a smile and gently stroked his cheek. "Momma's ok sweetie! I'm ok" she soothed before quickly putting her jacket on and allowing Troy to help her stand from the sofa. The young family hastily made their way outside and into their car…_

_---_

_--_

_-_

… "So did you make it to the hospital on time?" Zac questioned, interrupting the story.

"I was just getting to that bit" Gabriella informed her impatient son.

"But did you?" he asked again.

Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes! Just…" she admitted sheepishly.

Zac laughed. "Why did you wait so long?" he enquired.

Gabriella was amused at his sudden interest in his sister's birth story. "I guess because you took your time showing up I figured it would be the same with your sister." She confessed. "Do you even remember that day" she asked him inquisitively.

Zac thought for a moment. "Not really, I remember meeting her for the first time and then dad getting me that stuffed animal, that's the part that really sticks out" he informed his mother.

Gabriella smiled, remembering the toy that Troy had been forced to buy Zac in the hospital. "Oh yeah, you started a bit of a tradition there. Apparently you threw a tantrum in the hall because everyone had brought balloons for the new baby and you were feeling left out." She told him giggling.

"I think dad was worried I'd be jealous of a new baby, that's why he told me it was actually from her…I can't believe I fell for that" he said grinning, remembering his 3 year old self.

Gabriella smiled back at her son. He reminded her so much of Troy. He had his eyes without a doubt. They were a piercing blue and sparkled just the same. His hair was darker though, more like hers.

The pair were silent for a minute as they were both lost in thought. A few moments later Gabriella finally spoke.

"Did you talk to him?" she asked trying to stop her voice from cracking. "I mean before you came to find me…did you talk to him?" she asked, looking out towards the horizon.

Zac contemplated his response for a moment before clearing his throat. "Yeah" he responded weakly looking at the ground.

Gabi could tell that whatever had been said wasn't what she wanted to hear. "Do you think he'll change his mind?" she asked hesitantly, her voice finally cracking and tears rolling down her cheeks again.

Zac couldn't face his mother. "No, I don't think so. He's made up his mind." He replied honestly.

Silent tears rolled down Gabi's face and more threatened to fall as reality set back in. She already knew in her heart that he wasn't going to change his mind, she was just hoping blindly that somehow she was wrong…

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PLEASE review!!! Good? Bad? Ugly? Please tell me!! I love hearing what you guys think! xoxo


	4. Side By Side

**Title: **Such Sweet Sorrow  
**Author: **EllaKnight22  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!  
**Rating: **T  
**Pairing: **Troyella!!!  
**Summary: **Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Who is the young man? Story told through flashbacks. Mix of Angst/Tragedy/Romance/Fluff.

**A/N: **Ok I'll make this quick and then meet you at the end, first of all, THANK YOU for all the reviews!!! I really appreciate them and they do truly inspire me to write!! Secondly, I know it's been like an age since I last updated and I'm so sorry!!! I've just had a lot on with uni and work and travelling home for Christmas to see my family and then I had exams, but I'm back! And to make up for it this chapter is really long and the next one will be out really soon. Ok, enough already, on with the story:D

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Gabi stared out at the horizon trying to regain her composure. She wiped the stray tears away with the edge of her sleeve and swallowed hard. The atmosphere between them was awkward again and Zac hated it. He shuffled back over towards his mother and leaned on the railing beside her.

"Are you ever gonna finish that story?" he asked trying to lighten the mood.

Gabi looked back at him, her eyes finally dry and she sighed. "I didn't think you really wanted to hear it" she replied.

Zac smiled in spite of himself. "Are you kidding? You mean the story about the day where I finally had to give up all the attention I'd had to myself for 3 years and my cool, famous dad lost his celebrity status? What kid wouldn't want to relive that" he said sarcastically.

Gabi smiled at her son, he knew how to cheer her up. "You love your sister really…" she teased.

Zac sighed. "Yeah I do…just don't tell her I said that" he said smiling.

-

--

---

_**October, 2017**_

…_Shortly after the couple arrived at the hospital Gabriella was wheeled into labour and delivery with Troy following close behind, panicking as usual. Gabriella had been examined and she was already 8cm dilated. Her contractions were coming hard and fast and Troy was truly astonished at just how much pain she appeared to be in. The nurses had tried to talk Gabi into having an epidural but she was having none of it. As every contraction hit she screamed in pain and squeezed Troy's hand until it almost turned blue. Troy was filled with guilt that he hadn't been there for her the first time as he never before imagined just how horrific the whole experience was._

_As soon as her waters broke the pain increased tenfold and Gabi was having difficulty dealing with it. It wasn't long before she was fully dilated and was asked to begin pushing. Gabriella began to cry and it made Troy uneasy. He continually praised her and encouraged her while wiping her forehead and stroking her hair lovingly but there wasn't much more he could do. She was in so much pain and he felt useless. A few contractions later the nurse told Gabi she could see the head and encouraged her to push hard. The next two contractions came and went and although Gabriella tried her best the baby didn't seem to be moving. _

"_I can't do it, I can't do it, Troy" Gabriella cried as the last contraction faded. _

_Troy kissed her head and cupped her face in his hands. "Yes you can! I know you can. You're the most amazing person I know. I love you. You can do this" he told her trying to sound encouraging. Tears streamed down her face and her body was quickly assaulted by another contraction. Gabi pushed with all her might but didn't seem to be getting anywhere._

_Troy suddenly noticed that the nurses were conversing quietly and he had a feeling that something was wrong. The baby's heartbeat on the monitor began to slow and suddenly the nurses were moving around quickly, one of them leaving the room in a rush. _

_Troy examined their faces, searching for some kind of clue as to what was going on. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" he asked worriedly._

_The doctor entered the room as he asked his question and approached the couple. She smiled weakly at Troy. "Mrs Bolton, You're not progressing as fast as you should be and baby's heart rate has slowed a little, it's nothing to worry about but I have to examine you" she said calmly. _

_Gabriella was instantly horrified at this news and thought the worst. "What's wrong with me?? What's wrong with my baby? Is she ok??" she asked worriedly before another contraction hit and she screamed in pain._

"_Don't panic Gabriella, the best thing you can do for your baby is to stay calm" a nurse informed her soothingly._

_The doctor quickly examined Gabriella and her fears were soon realized. "Gabriella, listen to me. Your baby isn't moving because his shoulder is caught. It's called shoulder dsytocia. I'm going to have to try and maneuver him round as quickly as possible ok?" she told a frightened Gabriella. The nurses quickly came to her side and held her down while moving her legs back as the doctor tried to release the baby. Gabriella screamed in agony as this happened and Troy began to shake with fear. Fear for Gabi and their baby. _

_After a minute of trying the traumatic intervention the baby monitor began to beep incessantly. The baby's heart beat was getting slower and slower. Troy's eyes went wide as he hugged Gabriella tightly. The doctor stopped what she was doing and instantly began to shout orders at the people around her._

"_Gabriella I'm sorry we're going to have to perform an emergency c-section" she explained as her bed was quickly wheeled out of the delivery room. "The baby's stuck and is leaning on the cord. He's not getting enough oxygen, it's vital that we get him out in the next five minutes." She told a now hysterical Gabriella. _

_As they wheeled her into the operating room the nurse suddenly stopped Troy. "I'm sorry you can't go in there yet, come with me you'll have to scrub up" the nurse said guiding him in the opposite direction. _

"_No I have to stay with my wife" he told her forcefully as Gabriella cried his name from inside the room. _

"_Let them do their job. This is very time sensitive. They're trying to save your baby. Now please come with me, the quicker you do the quicker I can let you in" she explained calmly._

_Troy wiped a stray tear from his eye and kicked the wall hard before following the nurse into a different room._

_Once he had quickly put on the scrubs he entered the sterile room and was shocked at how many people there were. Gabriella had just had a spinal and was feeling a little dizzy. He hurriedly sat down next to the bed and kissed her. She grabbed his hand and stared into his eyes. He could see the fear in them and she was crying uncontrollably now. _

_The doctors quickly opened Gabriella up and within half a minute their baby was out. Troy watched in wonder as they carried the baby over to a separate table. _

"_It's a girl" one of the nurses told them, not sounding very happy. _

_Troy smiled down at Gabriella through his tears. "Did you hear that? It's a girl, you were right" he told her as he planted a soft kiss on her temple and squeezed her hand reassuringly. _

"_Is she ok?" Gabriella asked the nurse but she didn't reply. "Why isn't she crying?" she asked desperately. The baby was silent. The doctors in the corner crowded round the motionless baby._

"_Please, someone tell me why my baby isn't crying!" Gabriella yelled. The nurse finally came over towards her and stood in between Gabriella and her view of the doctors and her baby._

"_She's not breathing sweetie, but they're doing everything they can to help her" she told the panic-stricken woman. _

"_No, no, don't let this happen, please help her!" Gabriella shrieked. She turned to Troy who was also crying. "Troy, please do something, they have to help her, they have to help our baby" she cried uncontrollably. _

_Troy kissed her forehead again and held her tightly as more tears fell from his eyes. The pair were inconsolable. _

_After another agonizing minute a faint cry was heard from the other side of the room. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and Troy and Gabriella looked in the direction of the tiny cry. _

"_She's breathing on her own and she's pinking up" the doctor told the couple with relief etched in her voice._

_Troy and Gabriella kissed each other and cried tears of joy. A moment ago they thought they had lost their daughter and now she was crying loudly. The doctors placed her in a plastic cot and put her on oxygen while Gabriella was taken care of. Before they took her out of the room they wheeled her towards Troy and Gabi so they could catch their first proper glimpse of their daughter. Gabi reached over and gently stroked her baby girl's hand before she was whisked away into a separate room._

"_Go with her, Troy" Gabriella sleepily instructed her husband. He kissed her hand and looked at her with concern. _

"_I can't leave you like this" he said worriedly._

_Gabriella smiled weakly. "I'm fine. I'll feel better if I know you're with her" she told him. _

_Troy kissed her one last time and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back soon. I love you" he told her shakily before he followed his daughter down the hall._

_Gabriella slowly opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. Her vision was blurry and she was in a lot of pain. She figured she was in another hospital room and she couldn't remember much of what had happened since the traumatic delivery that morning. It was now 2pm._

"_Hey" Troy said soothingly from the side of her bed as he noticed she was awake. She slowly turned around in the direction of his voice and spotted him sitting on a chair with a tiny bundle in his arms. _

"_I didn't want to wake you, you looked so exhausted. How are you feeling?" He queried as he stood up from the chair and sat down on the bed beside her. _

_Gabi smiled lovingly at him and locked eyes with her tiny daughter. "I'm ok…how is she?" Gabriella asked._

_Troy beamed at Gabriella "She's amazing. They took her off the oxygen an hour ago, they said she's breathing fine on her own now" Troy informed his tired wife who seemed mesmerized by the baby in front of her. _

_Troy outstretched his arms and placed the tiny baby in Gabriella's waiting arms as she sat forward. Gabi held her close and kissed her on the forehead as tears started to run down her cheek. Troy wiped them away with his hand and then sat behind Gabriella on the bed. _

_She leaned back against his muscular chest and he wrapped his arms around her, watching his daughter from over Gabriella's shoulder. They sat in silence for a moment as they watched her tiny chest move up and down. _

_Gabriella eventually broke the silence. "Troy I was so worried" she told him as she began to cry again._

"_I know, I was too" he said hugging her tightly as he remembered the horrible experience. "But we got through it, all of us together. And you were amazing Gabi. You were so brave. And now we have a beautiful daughter and she's perfect" Troy said encouragingly._

_Gabi turned round and met eyes with him. "I couldn't have done it without you" she told him, her voice cracking with emotion._

_Troy kissed her gently on the lips and softly caressed her cheek. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here for Zac's birth." He replied honestly._

"_It's ok, it wasn't your fault. You were here for this one and that's all that matters" she told him._

_Troy smiled at his amazing wife. "I love you so much" he said adoringly._

"_I love you too" she replied as she leaned back against his chest and he captured her mouth in a tender kiss._

_The family were interrupted with a knock on the door and it was soon opened by some familiar faces. Gabi's mom appeared in the doorway and Zac came running in behind her._

"_Hey mom" Gabriella called to her beaming mother who was walking towards the young family. Zac awkwardly climbed onto the bed as fast as he could._

"_Momma!" he exclaimed when he saw her. Gabi hugged him tightly with her free arm and brought him in close to her. He looked over to the sleeping baby in her arms cautiously. _

"_Zac, meet your little sister" Troy informed his son. Zac stared at the baby for a long time, trying to decide whether or not this was a good thing._

"_Oh Gabi!_ _She's adorable, but how are you? Troy told me what happened" her mother said in concern. _

_Gabi forced a smile for her mother. "I'm fine now, but it was horrible" she admitted._

_Another knock on the door made everyone turn around to see Troy's parents enter the room. Everyone gathered around Troy, Gabriella and the new baby. _

"_Congratulations, son" Jack Bolton said to Troy. Troy's mom congratulated and hugged them both. _

"_So what's her name then?" Gabi's mom finally asked. Troy and Gabi exchanged a smile. _

"_Well, we decided that if it was a girl…" Gabriella began._

"…_we would call her Abby" Troy finished. Everyone smiled at the new baby._

"_Abby Bolton…" Jack said out loud. "That's a good name" he said beaming. _

_After ten minutes or so Troy and Gabriella's parents left the young family alone. _

_Abby had been passed around a lot and was now awake. She began to cry and Zac looked surprised. "baby crying!!" he said holding his little ears._

_Troy laughed at his son as Gabi soothed and comforted the newborn. "You can cry as much as you want" Gabriella told her daughter, still relieved that she was actually alive._

"_Momma can we go home now?"_ _Zac asked his mother._

_Gabriella looked apologetically towards her son. "I'm sorry sweetie, mommy has to stay in the hospital with the new baby for a few days but you're gonna go home and have fun with daddy"_

_Zac_ _instantly cheered up at the thought. Troy's phone began ringing from his pocket and he reached for it, thinking it would be one of their friends. Instead it was Troy's basketball coach. Troy leapt off the bed and walked towards the window as he answered the phone._

"_Hello" he said into the cell phone._

"_Bolton, we need you in practice this afternoon, no ifs, no buts, you've had long enough off to play happy families" the coach said vehemently._

"_Well actually I really can't, you see my wife just gave birth to our daughter this morning" Troy told him smiling happily as he looked back over at his perfect family._

_Gabriella felt uneasy about the phone call as she knew that Troy's coach would pressurize him into returning to his team sooner than she wanted him to. She looked down at Abby who was now fast asleep again even though Zac was hovering over her chatting away._

"_Great, so the kid is here, you can come back then. That's what you wanted right? To be there for the birth?" the coach reminded him._

_Troy looked perturbed. "Well yeah but I can't just leave my wife so soon after and besides I have to look after my son" he told the man._

"_Don't push it Bolton. Hire a babysitter. Your team needs you here, not at home playing Mr. Mom" he warned. "Practice starts at 4pm, be there, I mean it. No more family holiday. You're a Laker, Troy, this isn't a part time gig and you know that"_

_Troy sighed heavily and looked towards Gabriella and his kids again. "I'm sorry coach, I just can't. Not today." Troy defiantly said._

_The man on the other end of the phone became furious. "Listen kid, if I don't see your ass on this court in two hours I swear you will no longer be a member of this team" he angrily spat._

_Troy was about to cave when he saw the look of pure disappointment on Gabi's face. She had heard every word. Slowly but surely he realized what he had to do. Troy took a deep breath and met eyes with Gabi as he once again addressed the man on the other end of the phone. _

"_Ok, well then I guess I quit" he told the coach seriously. A variety of expletives and angry outbursts could be heard on the other end of the phone as Troy distanced the device from his ear. He smiled wryly and interrupted the man from his rage. "Goodbye coach" he said before hanging up the phone and turning it off. Gabi was lost for words, she stared at Troy open mouthed as he walked towards her and sat opposite her on the bed._

"_I can't believe you just did that" she said incredulously, a smile playing on her lips._

"_You made me realize something today. You made me realize what's important. And it's not basketball. I've missed out on so much these past five years. I've been a terrible husband and a terrible father…and that's not what I want to be for the rest of my life. I missed out on too much with this little guy, I don't want to do the same with this one." He said looking towards the sleeping baby._

"_From now on I'm going to be there for you…whether you like it or not" he said smiling coyly._

_Gabriella smiled widely and flung one arm around his neck kissing him. He laughed at her enthusiasm and returned the kiss as eagerly as she had initiated it…_

_---_

_--_

_-_

…"Ok, ok, ok I don't need to hear that bit" Zac informed his mother looking slightly grossed out. Gabi laughed at his disdain for the topic.

"Yeah, I vaguely recall you objecting at the time too" she teased him.

"Can you blame me?" he asked incredulously. Gabi hit him lightly on the arm and sighed. She was still thinking about that day. She would do anything to go back in time to that moment where everything seemed so perfect. "Our lives were so great back then. We had you and your sister and your dad wasn't with the Lakers anymore, he took a lot of time out just to be with us. We didn't have a care in the world. Those were the best years." Gabriella said reminiscing.

"Yeah, I remember" Zac replied solemnly.

Gabriella smiled as memories filled her mind. "We were so happy…we were so lucky" she said thoughtfully…

-

--

---

…_**December, 2017**_

_The Bolton's front room was in chaos as Christmas decorations were unpacked from a large box by Troy and Gabi. Zac stood between them as he sang along to the festive music filling the house while decorating the floor with tinsel. Gabi began to hang decorations on the tree as she giggled at the mess Zac was making. _

_Troy wiped the sweat from his forehead as he untangled the fairy lights and looked over at the blazing fire in disdain. "Gabi, do we really need to have the fire lit?? I feel like I'm gonna pass out from the heat" he complained._

"_Yes! We do, It makes it feel more like Christmas" she told him resolutely._

_Troy sighed in frustration. "But it's 65 degrees outside!"_

_Gabi rolled her eyes and playfully threw a plastic decoration at her husband. "Troy, stop being such a scrooge!" she said mocking him. _

_Troy dodged the flying decoration and smiled in spite of himself as Zac giggled at his parents. Troy loved how important Christmas was to Gabriella and it amused him just how far she would go to create the perfect atmosphere. He sneakily picked up a garland of tinsel from the box and wrapped it around Gabi as she squealed, tying her up in retaliation. He held her close as she wriggled against the tinsel trying to free her arms. _

_Troy laughed at her feeble attempts to struggle. "You can't attack me now can you?" he teased her. _

_Gabi giggled as she gave up fighting and gave into his embrace. "Troy, quit messing around and help me decorate the tree already" she pleaded._

"_Oh now who's the grumpy one??" he said as he leaned in and kissed her sweetly. Gabriella smiled against his lips and tried to hit him playfully on the chest. The moment was interrupted by the sound of Abby crying on the baby monitor that was sitting on top of the mantle. They broke apart slowly and rested their foreheads against each other. Troy loosened his grip on the tinsel and unwrapped it from around Gabriella. "I'll get her" he said before quickly placing a kiss on her lips as he jogged out of the room._

_Troy quickly made his way up the large staircase leading to his daughter's bedroom. Their house was fairly large and stylish – one of the benefits of being a famous NBA star for 5 years. As he approached the door he could hear the faint cries and hurriedly entered the room. _

"_Hey sweetie, what's all the fuss about?" he cooed as he gently picked up the 8 week old baby and cradled her lovingly. Troy was really enjoying the time he had been spending with his daughter as well as Gabi and Zac. Their little family felt complete now that Troy wasn't playing basketball 24/7 and Abby had arrived. His life was perfect and he had never been happier. _

_As he rocked the baby back and forth she stopped crying but continued to fuss. "Oh you wanna go see your mommy don't you sweetie?" Troy asked the tiny baby as he carefully carried her downstairs. The pair entered the blistering heat of the front room as Gabi was instructing Zac on where to place the decorations on the tree. _

"_Look who's awake" Troy said as Gabi looked up and smiled at the sight before her. Gabi gently took her tiny daughter from Troy's arms and whispered to her lovingly. _

"_I think she's hungry" Troy added as he continued to decorate the tree with Zac. Gabi nodded and sat down to feed the baby while watching Troy lift Zac to reach the higher _

_branches. _

_Gabriella looked thoughtful and smiled. "You know what? This is the first time we've decorated the Christmas tree together." She told her husband._

_Troy sighed and looked at the bauble in his hands. "I know…" he replied seriously before smiling "how am I doing so far?" he asked with a glint in his eye._

_Gabriella giggled. "Not bad…it's fixable" she teased him. _

_Troy feigned a hurt expression as he placed the last decoration on the tree and joined Gabi on the sofa. As he wrapped his arm around her shoulders he hugged her gently to him as they both watched their daughter. _

"_I have a feeling that this is gonna be the best Christmas ever" Troy said grinning._

_Gabi turned and beamed up at him. "Yeah, it is" she replied as their foreheads met._

_Zac_ _ran over to his parents clutching a Christmas angel. "Mommy, Daddy! Angel on top!" he squealed in delight. _

"_Alright little guy, you can do it" Troy told the excited toddler. With one scoop he lifted the little boy into his arms and held him up high to reach the top branch. Zac shakily balanced the angel and smiled widely at his accomplishment, clapping his hands together. _

"_Just one last thing" Troy told his son as he reached down and flicked the power switch. The tree was suddenly illuminated with fairy lights and Zac's eyes went wide in amazement as he squealed in delight. _

_Gabi smiled at them and joined them both by the tree, admiring the finished product. "It's perfect" she told the boys proudly._

_The family were interrupted as the doorbell rang and Troy ran off to answer it. He had no idea who it was. As he opened the heavy door and saw who was standing there his mouth fell open._

"_Surprise!"_ _Chad yelled as he saw his best friend since pre-school. Chad, Taylor, Kelsi and Jason were standing on the Bolton's doorstep smiling widely at their friend who was in shock._

"_Guys!_ _I thought you said you couldn't make it" Troy said in astonishment as he hugged his friends._

"_Oh we just told you and Gabi that so we could all come up together and surprise you" Taylor interjected happily._

"_Well it's great to see you all, I can't believe you came all this way!" Troy said still astounded at the unexpected visitors. The gang hadn't seen much of each other lately as Chad and Taylor were living in New York and Kelsi and Jason were still in Albuquerque. _

"_Well aren't you gonna invite us in?" Kelsi asked with a giggle._

_Troy smiled and stepped aside, ushering his friends into the hallway. "Sorry, please come in, but I warn you, Gabi has established her own tropical climate in the front room so you may actually be safer outside." He informed his friends with a grin._

_The wildcats followed Troy into the large living area and spotted Gabi playing with Zac on the rug. "You're not gonna believe this…" Troy began as his wife turned around and saw her friends standing at the door. _

"_Gabi!!"_ _Taylor shrieked as she ran over and enveloped her friend in a hug. _

"_Tay!!_ _What are you doing here?! You said you couldn't come 'til spring!" Gabriella excitedly asked her best friend. _

"_I lied!" Taylor happily replied. _

_Gabi giggled and hugged Kelsi who was standing behind Taylor. "It's so great to see you guys!" she told them all sincerely._

_Chad noticed the little boy standing next to his mommy and kneeled down to talk to him. "Hey Zac!! How are ya little dude?" Chad asked the toddler._

_Zac_ _instantly smiled at the familiar face. "Uncle Chad!!" he shouted excitedly. Chad hugged the little boy and then put on a serious face. _

"_Now I heard a rumor that you were a big brother now" Chad began. _

_Zac_ _eagerly nodded his head and looked proud. "Yup!" he told his favorite uncle._

"_Wow that's awesome, can we see your little sister?" Chad asked Zac._

"_Yeah she's right over here!" Zac said taking Chad's hand and guiding him over to the moses basket in the corner. Gabi smiled at Chad and silently thanked him for including her son and making him feel important while everyone else fussed around the new baby._

"_Oh Gabi she's adorable!!" Kelsi exclaimed as she caught sight of the baby. _

_Troy and Gabriella smiled proudly and Gabi carefully lifted the contented baby into her arms. "Do you want to hold her?" she asked Kelsi who nodded instantly and took the baby from her friend. Troy looked on as his daughter was passed around the room between all his old friends._

"_So, dude, you quit the lakers, that was pretty…brave" Chad said after much deliberation on his choice of words._

_Troy smiled and averted Chad's gaze. "By brave you really mean stupid" Troy replied bluntly._

"_No, that's not what I meant at all…I just meant, you know…that it was…an interesting choice" Chad said stumbling over his words. "I mean it was the Lakers, Troy!" he added incredulously._

"_Yeah, I know. But I don't regret it, not one bit" Troy told his stunned friend honestly. Gabi smiled as she overheard the guy's conversation. _

"_Not even a little bit?" Jason asked in disbelief. _

_Troy laughed at his unbelieving friends. "Nope" he replied. _

_Chad still looked confused and stared at his friend, dumfounded. "But it was the LAKERS!" he repeated. _

"_You'll understand one day, man" Troy informed his friend while patting his shoulder._

_Taylor and Gabi exchanged a secretive look at this remark and Kelsi smiled broadly. Unbeknownst to Chad, Taylor was two months pregnant. She was planning on telling Chad on Christmas eve, as she wanted to make it her Christmas present to him._

"_So what now?_ _What's next for the famous Troy Bolton? Sports presenter? TV personality? Team coach?" Chad asked inquisitively._

_Troy smiled wryly. "Actually yeah, I'm gonna be coaching" _

"_Are you serious?? That's awesome dude! Which team?" Jason enquired excitedly._

"_I believe they're called the Bulldogs" Troy told them smiling as he watched their bemused expressions._

"_The who?" Jason and Chad simultaneously responded._

_Troy laughed "They're from the local high school. I'm gonna be coaching a high school basketball team" he said proudly._

"_But dude, you could do so much better!" Chad said bewildered._

"_You mean I could land another job somewhere that involved me never seeing my wife and kids. That's not what I want. I'm officially retired from all that" he said sincerely._

"_Troy, you're turning into your father." Jason solemnly exclaimed._

_Troy's smile instantly left his face as he looked suddenly serious. "You have no idea how terrifying that thought is man…" _

_---_

_--_

_-_

… "Mom…it's getting late, we've been up here for an hour already" Zac said interrupting the story.

Gabriella's expression instantly fell. She was back. Back on the rooftop in the present time. An overwhelming feeling of dread filling her mind as she returned to reality. She gulped hard and steadied herself on the railing as her knees began to tremble.

"Mom" Zac repeated, trying to get through to his troubled mother. Gabi took a deep breath and slowly turned around to face her son, his pained eyes locking with her own.

"The funny thing is he ended up enjoying working at the school more than he ever did being with the Lakers." Gabriella said, desperately trying to avoid the subject.

Zac sighed but remained silent, he understood how she was feeling and knew that it was pointless trying to get her to deal with the situation. She would deal with it when she was ready. He just hoped that by the time she did it wouldn't be too late.

----------

Wow that was long! If you're still reading I applaud you!! All WILL be revealed in the next chapter!! Lots of you have been guessing what's going on in the story in reviews and private messages, I think two of you got it right so well done! Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you think by leaving a quick review! It really will make me write SO much faster! Toodles! xxx


	5. Secrets and Lies

**Title: **Such Sweet Sorrow  
**Author: **EllaKnight22  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!  
**Rating: **T  
**Pairing: **Troyella!!!  
**Summary: **Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Who is the young man? Story told through flashbacks. Mix of Angst/Tragedy/Romance/Fluff.

**A/N:** Thank you SOOO much for the reviews!! I crave them! I promised that all would be revealed in this chapter and I keep my promises. Well mostly. Ha! If you manage to get through this ridiculously long chapter you will pretty much know what's going on I swear! But if I revealed everything right now it wouldn't be that interesting now would it?

Ok, Are you sitting comfortably? On with the story!

----------

"Don't you think we should go back down now?" Zac cautiously asked.

Gabi was silent as she was forced to remember her responsibilities. "Is Lucy ok?" she asked in concern.

Zac nodded his head. "Yeah, she's with the others and Sharpay. She's totally oblivious to everything, lucky thing." He said sadly.

Gabi nodded. "That's good, I can count on Sharpay to take care of things for a while. I don't know what I'd do without her"

"Mom…everyone else is fine, but dad needs you" Zac said, trying to make his mother realize that she couldn't hide forever.

Gabi gulped hard, she couldn't look him in the eye. "And what about me? I need him…we all need him…" she replied distantly.

"He didn't chose this…" Zac began.

"I know, but it wasn't meant to be like this, it wasn't meant to happen like this, not here, not today. We should have had more time" she tried to explain.

Zac didn't know what to say. He didn't have an answer for his mother. He took a deep breath and stared up at the stars above him. Slowly he let his body slide down the railings to the ground as he fought back the tears that he had refused to let fall for a long time. This felt like the longest day of his life and it wasn't over yet, but Zac was running out of time. He knew his mother was refusing to face reality but he had to convince her to come back with him. If he didn't succeed in his task soon then it would be too late…and he knew that she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Zac shivered against the cold breeze as he gave into his emotions. His childhood had been so happy and uncomplicated until that one day six years ago when it had all been turned upside down. Things had never been the same since. That one defining moment was a vivid memory, one that would never leave him. He could still remember so many details about that day; what he was wearing, what he'd eaten for breakfast, the score at his little league game, the taste of the cool early summer air…such innocent memories that haunted him like a black cloud hovering over his consciousness.

Zac tightly shut his eyes against the falling tears as images of that day assaulted his mind…

-

--

---

…_**May, 2024**_

_Music played and the sun shone brightly as the Bolton's van cruised along the tree lined avenue. It was a beautiful, warm Saturday morning but ten year old Zac could tell something wasn't right. Gabriella seemed distracted as she drove along the road. _

_Zac_ _watched her intently as she gazed ahead, a worried expression etched on her face. Her favourite song was being played on the radio but she didn't sing along. He glanced to his side to see his younger sister Abby hum along quietly to the music as she played with her doll, failing to notice the unusually bleak atmosphere inside the car._

_The journey didn't last long and soon they were pulling up outside a familiar house. Gabriella, Zac and Abby jumped out of the car and made their way up the driveway as a woman exited the house. _

"_Hey Gabriella!_ _Hey guys!" she called welcoming them. _

"_Hey Angela" Gabriella greeted the woman, trying to sound as happy as possible. "You sure you don't mind taking Zac to his game?" she asked._

_Angela smiled warmly. "Of course not! And don't worry about Abby, her and Emily are gonna have a great time hanging out, we'll drop the kids off at your house around 4pm." _

"_Thanks Angela, I really appreciate it" Gabi told the woman sincerely. _

"_Anytime, hey are you ok? You don't look so good, are you getting enough sleep?" the woman asked in concern. _

_Gabriella sighed uneasily as she nervously played with her car keys. "I'm fine, really, I'm just tired" she lied unconvincingly._

"_No wonder, I don't know how you cope!" Angela said. "Now you get going and try to relax a bit while these two are gone. We'll see you at 4" she told Gabi as Zac and Abby both kissed their mother goodbye._

"_I will, thanks again" Gabi said as she hugged her kids. "You two be good, I'll see you later" she told her children before making her way back to the van._

_Gabi jumped into the driver's seat and took a deep breath. A wave of panic came over her as she realized what she was about to do. Soon she would have her answers, but she was afraid of the truth. She turned around and looked at the back seat intently. Her twins lay peacefully sleeping in their car seats. Gabi smiled, thankful that they weren't fussing and started the car. _

_Gabriella drove down a familiar road as she made her way to the house of one of her closest friends. She glanced in the rear view mirror at her 3 month old baby girls as she cruised along the highway. _

_Troy and Gabriella had decided to try for one more baby over a year ago and were over the moon to find out that Gabi was pregnant again. Finding out that it was twins was a shock but they both couldn't have been happier. Everything was perfect until they were born. It seemed that since their birth things just hadn't been right between her and Troy. _

_Troy had changed. He wasn't the same anymore, he was distant and evasive. Gabi tried hard to figure out what was wrong but he wouldn't let her in. He seemed to spend a lot more time out of the house, as if he was avoiding her and the kids. Like today. Once again Troy had made one of his excuses, kissed Gabi goodbye and left. He told her that he was doing some extra coaching for his basketball team today at school and that he would be back later but Gabi didn't believe him. _

_The car pulled up outside the large house and Gabi struggled as she carried both car seats carefully to the door. She rang the bell and waited for what seemed like an eternity._

_A minute later the door was opened by a woman with long flowing blonde hair. "Gabi! I didn't know you were coming over" she exclaimed as she took one of the car seats from her friend and began to gush over the babies. Gabriella followed her in and set the other seat down on the table._

"_I need a huge favor" Gabriella told Sharpay with a desperate tone in her voice. Sharpay could tell this was important and instantly made eye contact with her friend. "Of course, what's wrong" she asked knowingly._

_Gabi felt a lump form in her throat and desperately tried to choke it back. "I need you to watch Chloe and Ella for a couple of hours" she said fighting back the emotion that was creeping into her voice._

"_Sure, of course I can do that, are you ok?" Sharpay asked._

_Gabriella smiled and nodded her head in relief. "Yeah, I'll talk to you later, thank you so much" she said before backing away to the door as quickly as possible._

_Gabi was gone before Sharpay had a chance to question her. She worriedly watched as her friend got into her car and drove away, silently praying that she would be ok._

_----------_

_Gabi could feel her heart beating fast as she pulled up outside the local high school where Troy worked. Her hands were shaking as she held the steering wheel firmly, planning her next move. As she sat in her car scanning the grounds for any signs of life she suddenly noticed the caretaker walking around the building. He spotted her and smiled as he made his way over to her car. _

_Gabriella rolled the window down as he approached and smiled weakly at the man. _

"_Mrs. Bolton, what are you doing up here?" he asked her._

_Gabriella gulped hard. "I was just looking for my husband, is he here?" she asked nervously. Gabi held her breath as she awaited his answer._

_The caretaker looked puzzled. "No, it's Saturday, school's locked up" he replied quizzically._

_Gabi felt her heart sink at his words. "Oh I know, it's just that he mentioned he was maybe going to come in this afternoon to get something from his office but he left his cell phone at home, I was just going to bring it to him" she lied. _

_The caretaker bought her excuse and nodded. "Well if I see him I'll let him know you were here" he told her._

"_Thanks a lot, I better get going" she hurriedly said as she started the engine._

"_Ok, bye Mrs Bolton" he called to her before walking away._

"_Bye" she said before winding the window up and hastily pulling away. Tears began pouring from her eyes and her vision blurred as she tried to focus on the road ahead of her. Eventually she gave in and pulled over. Letting her emotions take over her, she cried loudly and broke down in her car. Her fears had been confirmed. Troy had been lying to her about where he was going and that could only mean one thing._

_----------_

_An hour later Gabi returned to Sharpay's house with her eyes red and bloodshot and slowly made her way to the door. She took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure as she rang the bell and waited. Loud cries could be heard from inside the house. A moment later Sharpay came to the door with an upset Chloe against her shoulder. _

_Before Sharpay had the chance to comment Gabi entered the house and took the baby from her friends' arms. "Thanks so much for watching the girls for me, I really appreciate it" she hurriedly thanked her friend._

_Sharpay_ _noticed the red streaks down her friends face and gasped at how awful she looked. "Oh my god, Gabi what happened" she worriedly asked following her distressed friend into the front room._

"_I really gotta go, I have so much to do before Zac and Abby get home" Gabi quickly said avoiding Sharpay's questions._

"_Gabi, please tell me what happened" Sharpay pleaded._

_Gabriella began to pack all the twins things away in their diaper bag while soothing the crying baby on her shoulder. "Are their bottles in the fridge?" she hurriedly asked ignoring Sharpay's questions._

"_Gabi something is up, I can see you've been crying, please just tell me what it is maybe I can help" she asked while following her friend into the kitchen._

_Gabi grabbed the milk bottles from the fridge and pushed past a confused Sharpay. Seeing the look of concern in her friends' eyes made her begin to lose control. Tears began to run down her face again as she carefully put the now quiet baby back in her car seat. "I have to go food shopping, the house is a mess and I promised Abby I'd finish her ballet costume tonight…" Gabriella blurted out through her tears in a last attempt to avoid answering her friends' questions. She rubbed her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut against her tears as Sharpay reached out and touched her arm._

"_Gabi, please, I'm your friend, tell me why you're so upset" Sharpay pleaded as Gabriella began crying uncontrollably. _

_As Gabi gave into the tears her knees buckled and she sank to the floor. Sharpay kneeled down and hugged her friend as she cried. "It's Troy" Gabriella choked out in anguish._

"_What about Troy, is he ok? Did something happen to him?" Sharpay worriedly questioned._

"_I don't think he loves me anymore" Gabi confessed, her voice cracking as more tears poured from her eyes._

_Sharpay_ _looked at her friend in confusion. "That's insane, why would you think that?!?" Sharpay asked incredulously._

_Gabriella sat back and made eye contact with her friend. "I think he's having an affair" she whispered after clearing the lump in her throat._

_Sharpay_ _shook her head. "That's not possible! Troy would never do that Gabi" she said resolutely. _

_Gabriella wiped the tears from her eyes as more threatened to fall. "He's not the same anymore, he's changed. He won't let me in, he's different around me and he's never home anymore. He makes these excuses and then leaves for the whole day. What am I supposed to think?" Gabi choked out._

_Sharpay_ _frowned at the revelation, still not believing Troy would be capable of such a thing. "Well how do you know they're just excuses? Maybe he's telling the truth" Sharpay tried to reason._

_Gabriella sighed and shook her head "He told me he had practice today at the school. I went there and there was no practice. He wasn't there" she told Sharpay solemnly._

_Sharpay_ _couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Well have you tried calling him?" she asked._

"_Three times…his phone is switched off" Gabi quietly responded as she looked to the floor and gulped back more tears. "I call him every time he does this, his phone is always switched off". Sharpay didn't know what to say. _

"_Last month when I was doing the laundry I found a piece of paper in his pocket. It had a number on it and a woman's name" she told her stunned friend._

_The pair sat in silence as Sharpay absorbed what she was being told. Gabriella began to cry again and Sharpay hugged her inconsolable friend. "Gabi, you need to talk to him about this. It might not be what you think" she advised._

_Gabi nodded reluctantly. "I know, I've been putting it off for so long." She admitted tearfully._

"_Promise me you'll talk to him tonight" Sharpay pleaded. _

_Gabi nodded her head sadly and cried into her friend's shoulder. She knew what she had to do._

_----------_

_When Gabi got home that afternoon she put the twins down to sleep and then sat at the kitchen table going through in her mind what she was going to say to Troy. Every time she replayed it in her head it was different and each time she thought about it she got more upset. She cried more than she thought was possible and became more panicked the later it got. The twins eventually woke up and cried but Gabi ignored them. She couldn't deal with them at that moment._

_It wasn't long before Zac and Abby got home. She could hear them happily call to her as they noisily came in the front door. Gabriella didn't want her children to see her like this and desperately tried to dry her eyes with her sleeve before going to meet them. _

"_Hey guys, did you have a good day?" she cheerily asked. Zac froze when he saw her face. At that moment he knew that something was very seriously not right. _

"_Yeah me and Emily played with our dolls and we ate ice cream" Abby happily told her mother, oblivious to how upset she looked._

"_Zac, how was your game?" Gabi asked her son as Abby ran upstairs._

_Zac_ _stared at his mother long and hard with a look of confusion and fear. "You've been crying" he finally said._

_Gabi ignored his remark and walked into the front room, annoyed that her son had seen through her act. This was all she needed._

"_Mom, why are you crying?" Zac asked._

_Gabi could feel the tears welling up again at his words. "I'm not" she responded curtly, turning away from him so he couldn't see her face._

"_Why are you crying?" Zac asked again, determined to find out what was wrong._

_Gabi sat down on the sofa and put her head in her hands. "Zac will you please go to your room and play for a while before dinner?" she asked him, hoping he would obey._

_Zac_ _ignored what he had been asked to do and stood watching his mother. "The twins are crying" he finally said._

_That was the last straw and Gabi lost it. "DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?!?!" she shouted at him. _

_Zac_ _was in shock, his mother had never spoken to him like that before. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop the tears springing into his eyes. His bottom lip began to quiver._

_Gabi instantly regretted shouting at Zac the moment it had happened. When she saw how upset he was she wished she could take it back. "Oh Zac, I'm so sorry" she said reaching out for him but he flinched away and ran upstairs. _

_Gabi collapsed on the sofa and curled up into a ball as she cried her heart out. She felt like her whole world was collapsing around her. A minute later Abby ran downstairs. _

"_Mommy?_ _The twins won't stop crying, can't you hear them?" she called as she walked through the house trying to find her mother. When she spotted her on the sofa she stopped dead in her tracks. "Mommy?" she called to her but Gabi didn't respond._

"_Mommy, what's wrong? The twins are crying!" Abby tried once again, this time reaching out and tapping her mother on the arm. Gabi was crying hard now and desperately clutched onto the cushion as she curled into a ball, not being able to answer her daughter._

"_Mommy you're scaring me!" Abby shrieked not knowing what to do._

_Zac_ _could hear what was going on downstairs and came down to retrieve his sister. He was a good big brother and always looked out for Abby. Zac silently entered the front room and took a crying Abby by the arm leading her upstairs. "Come on Abby, we have to take care of the twins" he told her as they left their mother lying inconsolable. Zac was beyond worried but didn't want his little sister to see this. Once they had fed and changed the twins between them Zac snuck off to call his dad but his phone was still switched off. _

_Downstairs, Gabi cried until she could cry no more and eventually let everything fade to black. _

_----------_

_When Gabi awoke later the house was silent. She pulled herself together and began to make dinner for her family. It was now after 6pm and Troy was still not home. _

_When dinner was ready she called the kids downstairs and they ate in silence. _

_Troy arrived back home at 7pm and entered the deadly silent kitchen. Gabi was clearing up as the kids finished their meal. _

"_Daddy!!"_ _Abby shouted as she saw him, running and hugging him._

"_Hey princess!"_ _Troy greeted his daughter, kissing her on the forehead and hugging her tightly. _

_Gabi kept her back to Troy, not ready to face him as she continued tidying the kitchen._

"_Zac, how was the game?" Troy asked his son brightly. _

"_We won" Zac responded, not sounding as happy as he should have._

"_That's great! Well done buddy, I promise next time I'll be there" Troy told his son apologetically. He had yet to notice the icy atmosphere in the kitchen._

_Troy made his way over to Gabriella and slipped his hands around her waist. She froze, unsure of what to do, not wanting to cause another scene in front of the kids. "I'm sorry I'm late, practice ran over" he told her. Gabi turned around and moved away as he was about to kiss her. Troy was confused._

"_There's leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry" she said, her voice devoid of emotion._

_Troy watched in bewilderment as she began to clear the table. "Gabriella?" he said questioningly. When she failed to respond he turned to Zac and Abby and grew more suspicious when he noticed how sad they looked. "Hey kids, why don't you go upstairs for a while" he suggested._

_Zac_ _and Abby knew not to argue and instantly got up from the table and left the room. As Abby ran upstairs Zac pretended to follow before turning around and sitting by the door, listening into the conversation._

_Troy approached Gabi with concern and gently rubbed her arms. She stared at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with him. "Gabi what's wrong?" he asked her with worry._

_Gabi didn't respond, instead she just continued to stare at the floor. Troy gently took her chin in his hand and guided her head round to face him. When he noticed the tear stains and red eyes he gasped. "You've been crying…why have you been crying?" he asked as he hugged her close, stroking her back. _

_Gabi didn't hug him back. She was silent. Troy pulled back and looked into her eyes but they looked different. It was a look he had never seen before. He let go of her and she walked to the table, steadying herself with a chair._

"_Gabi, what's going on" Troy finally asked._

_There was a moment's silence before Gabriella found her voice. "I came by the school today" she simply said, not bothering to elaborate, not needing to._

_Realization suddenly hit Troy and he gulped hard. He lowered himself into a chair and sighed heavily, not sure if he was ready to have this conversation. Guilt washed over him as he realized how much of an impact his lies had had on his family._

"_I already knew you weren't going to be there. I guess I just had to see it for myself" she explained calmly, determined not to give into her emotions._

_Troy couldn't speak, he hadn't prepared himself for this moment._

"_Eighteen years we've been together. You really thought I wouldn't notice you were lying?" she asked incredulously. _

_Gabi finally turned around to face her husband and saw him sitting with his face in his hands. Troy gulped hard. "I'm sorry" he said._

_At his apology the tears returned to her eyes and she began to break down again. "There was no charity conference in New York, was there?" she asked him._

_Troy looked up at her with pained eyes and then immediately averted his gaze when he saw her tears. "No" he responded quietly._

_There was a long silence before Gabi piped up again. "Is it someone I know?" she finally choked out, not really wanting to know the answer._

_Troy looked confused and stared at her quizzically. She ignored his questioning look and carried on. "Is it someone younger? Maybe someone with less stretch marks?"_

_Troy began shaking his head. "Wait a minute, you think I'm having an affair?" he asked, unable to comprehend that she could think like that._

"_You're never here anymore, you always make up excuses and then just take off and when you are here you're different! We're different! You don't talk to me anymore, you shut me out and you act like nothing's wrong" she cried._

"_Gabi you've got it all wrong" Troy said forcefully, beginning to raise his voice._

_Gabriella ignored his protests and carried on. "Ever since the girls were born nothing has been the same. Dammit Troy, you're never here for me and you're never here to help out with your kids. Instead you've been out spending time with some other woman!" she screamed hysterically._

_Troy was angry and hurt by her words. "Gabriella-" he began but she cut him off._

"_We haven't even slept together since the twins were born. I found a woman's number in your pocket, how do you explain that? How could you do this Troy?? How could you do this to us? How could you do this to the kids? After everything we've been through, how could you?" she shouted angrily._

_Troy had had enough. He turned around to face her and interrupted her rant. "I HAVE CANCER!" he yelled harshly._

_Silence._ _Zac swore his heart stopped beating at that moment. Either that or time had momentarily stopped. He watched as his mother backed away, her hand flying to cover her mouth in disbelief. _

_Fresh tears sprung into Gabriella's eyes and silently fell, cascading down her reddened cheeks. Her knees gave way and she found herself falling back into a waiting chair._

"_No…no…no" she began repeating over and over like a mantra. _

_The sight of her crushed Troy and he regretted breaking the news to her the way he had done. "Gabi, I'm sorry" he said honestly as he knelt down beside her chair and held her hands in his. "I never meant for you to find out like this" he confessed. _

_Gabi cried uncontrollably. "Please tell me this isn't happening" she pleaded._

_Troy fought back tears of his own at her words. "I've been getting treatment, that's why I've not been here. The trip to NYC was to see a specialist and the number you found in my pocket was for one of the oncology nurses. She said I had to ring her if I had any questions." He quietly explained. _

_Gabi placed her hand on his cheek as she looked into his teary eyes. "I'm so sorry" she wept before joining him on the kitchen floor and hugging him. Troy held her close and hugged her tightly, finally letting his emotions through. He buried his face in her shoulder and took solace in her. At that moment he realized how badly he needed her for support. The pair sat clinging to each other, quietly crying for a few minutes before Gabi finally spoke._

"_Why didn't you tell me" she choked out, her voice strained. _

"_I couldn't. I couldn't do that to you. You had enough to deal with, the twins had just been born when I found out" he painfully explained._

_Gabriella pulled out of his grip and faced him. "So you were just never going to tell me?" she asked incredulously._

_Troy shook his head. "No, I wanted to wait until I'd seen the specialist, until I'd found out how bad it was, then maybe I could have gave you some good news."_

_Gabi digested this information and searched his eyes for answers as she asked her next question. "So how bad is it?" she asked gulping back tears._

_Troy was finding it hard to answer her. He stared at her hands and fought back the tears as he whispered his reply. "It's bad"._

_Gabriella gulped in some much needed air and embraced him tightly. The pair of them cried into each other's shoulders again. "You should have told me, I should have been there for you. I'm your wife. We could have gone through it together" she said into his shirt._

"_I'm sorry" Troy cried. He felt relieved that she finally knew. He had hated all the secrets and lies. _

_Gabriella pulled back to face him and looked deep into his eyes. She cupped his face in her hands and gently brushed her thumb over his cheek. "We're gonna get through this. We're gonna get through this together. I'm here now" she told him before leaving a lingering kiss on his lips._

_In that moment Troy forgot all the pain and turmoil he had been in and really believed that everything would be ok. With Gabriella by his side, he would be ok._

_---_

_--_

_-_

Zac's mother's words stayed in his mind as he watched her from across the rooftop. She was sitting on the cold floor again staring blankly ahead. He got up from his position and made his way over to her.

"I was there that night" he simply said, jolting her out of her daydream.

Gabi looked up in confusion. "What night?" she asked him blankly.

Zac sat down beside her and leaned against the cold wall. "The night dad told you he had cancer. I was there. I was listening at the door" he admitted.

Gabriella was silent, not really sure where he was going with this revelation.

"I remember what you said to him. You said that you were gonna get through it together. What changed?" he asked.

Gabi turned away, refusing to meet his gaze. "I've been with him, every step of the way. For six years we've dealt with it together. But today he made a decision on his own, without me and now I have no say in it at all." She replied painfully.

Zac sighed in frustration. "Maybe because it was his decision to make, can't you understand that?" he said harshly.

A wave of sorrow overcame Gabi at her son's words. She thought about it for a moment and stared at him with a pained expression. Maybe he was right, but thinking about it was too painful. Gabi felt sick to her stomach as tears flooded her eyes again. "Oh god, Zac, what am I gonna do?" she cried as her son hugged her close, a feeling of guilt filling him for speaking to her like that.

"I dunno mom, I dunno" he replied honestly as he rocked his sobbing mother back and forth..

----------

So that was pretty obvious right? Most of you had figured out what was going on. And to answer the many people who have asked this question, No, Troy is NOT dead!!

Thank you to EVERYONE who is reading this story! I wouldn't be writing it if you didn't exist. So please, please, please, PLEASE review!! I need to know what you think, constructive crit welcome!!! You'll be making a young girl VERY happy!!! Go on…you know you want to! xoxo


	6. Jack and RoseWithout The Boat

**Title: **Such Sweet Sorrow  
**Author: **EllaKnight22  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!  
**Rating: **T  
**Pairing: **Troyella!!  
**Summary: **Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Who is the young man? Story told through flashbacks. Mix of Angst/Tragedy/Romance/Fluff.

**A/N: **Yes, I realise it has been about a century since my last update and for that I do apologise. I hit a nasty patch of writers block and I was too busy with uni work to really focus on fixing the problem. But I feel I finally have my creative juices flowing again on this project and I have another story in the works too! But first, I have vowed to finish this one.

As always, thank you to everyone reading this, everyone who has put the story on alert or favourite, I hope you continue to like it and that I don't disappoint! Thank you for all the reviews, they are like a drug!

So without much further ado, babble or rant...I give you...chapter 6!!

--

Zac couldn't cope with his mother when she was this upset. It broke his heart to see her so devastated. In times like these there was only one thing that could cheer his mother up – her memories. Gabriella was a story teller and regularly relived moments of her life to her children.

As Gabi's cries turned to fading sobs he turned to meet her tear soaked face. "You know I can think of one story you haven't told us in a while." He said attempting to lighten the mood.

"Which one?" she asked, wiping the last tears away.

Zac smiled. "Your favorite one. The one we've all heard a thousand times." He said sarcastically.

Gabi laughed at her son. "You mean the one that I love to tell and you usually leave the room when I tell it?"

"The very one" Zac replied smiling wryly.

"You actually want to hear it? Promise you won't run away this time?" she asked bemused.

"Cross my heart" he said.

Gabi shifted so she was sitting upright again and pulled her shawl around her tightly. "Ok, but I warn you, it's long"…

-

--

--

**_June 2013 _**

_Troy froze as he stared at his reflection in the long mirror. Realization of what was about to happen began to sink in and his cold clammy hands twitched nervously as they attempted to loosen the tie around his neck. He had never been more nervous in his entire life. Not even before any one of his major basketball games. Thoughts and fears ran through his mind at an alarming rate as a hot acidic feeling rose in his chest and he gulped it back feverishly. He jumped, startled as the door behind him opened to reveal his lifelong best friend carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers that almost hid his face._

_"Dude, you look awful!" Chad exclaimed as he caught the pale sight of Troy, a hint of laughter in his voice. _

_Troy regarded Chad disdainfully "Thanks, man" he said in a dead pan voice as he took the flowers and examined them. "They look good, nice job Chad" Troy said, clearly impressed._

_"Oh no, I didn't pick them out, Kelsi did, you really think I have taste in flowers?" Chad remarked, almost offended that Troy had even considered he possessed a hint of femininity. _

_"Your secret's safe buddy" Troy said jokingly as he lightly punched his best man on the arm._

_"Haha, very funny" Chad replied un-amused. "Now will you hurry up already, we're really late" he said impatiently._

_Troy gulped as once again the realization that his wedding was imminent hit him. He sat down with the card from the bouquet and grabbed a pen. As he concentrated on the blank card in front of him he absentmindedly chewed the end of the pen. _

_Chad surveyed his friend closely. "Troy, what's up with you?" he enquired as he grabbed a chair and sat down._

_Troy kept his eyes firmly on the blank card. "I'm just a little nervous" he confessed sheepishly. "But that's normal right?" he said turning to Chad for reassurance._

_"Dude, what are you nervous about?! You're marrying Gabriella, not a mountain lion!" he said with a laugh._

_"I know! And that's just it, it's Gabriella, she's perfect and she deserves to have the best wedding and the best husband…what if I'm not good enough for her?" he worried._

_Chad stared at Troy for a moment as if he had two heads. "Troy, what are you talking about? This is you and Gabriella! You guys are like Romeo and Juliet!" he exclaimed incredulously._

_Troy looked at Chad with a furrowed brow. "Romeo and Juliet died" he told his friend blankly. _

_Chad looked perturbed. "Ok, fine you're like…Jack and Rose…but without the boat" he blurted out. _

_Troy simply gave his friend a look that said it all. _

_"I'm not helping, am I" Chad asked. _

_Troy took a deep breath and let out a loud sigh. "She deserves someone who can be totally devoted to her. I'm a terrible boyfriend, Chad. This past year has been nothing but basketball. I wasn't there on her birthday, I forgot our anniversary and I've cancelled more dates than I can count." He confessed truthfully._

_"And she's still madly in love with you. Sure you've messed up, but she knows that the basketball thing is all new right now, it'll get better. She understands all that" Chad said trying to reassure his friend. _

_Troy stared back down at the card, deep in thought and gulped again. _

_"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you two are made for each other, so stop worrying" Chad told Troy supportively. _

_Troy quickly scribbled a note in the card and placed it back in the bouquet of flowers. Chad took the bouquet from his anxious friend and stood up. "I'll go deliver these, you pull yourself together and I'll meet you downstairs" he told his friend as he walked towards the door. _

_"Thanks, man" Troy said sincerely as he watched his friend leave the room. He stood for a moment staring at the door before looking towards the mirror and once again gulping hard at the sight of his reflection._

_--_

_Gabriella took a step back and gasped as she looked at her reflection in the long mirror. She couldn't believe that today was finally happening. Gabi had dreamed of this moment for as long as she could remember and she expected that when the day came she would be filled with excitement and happiness. Unfortunately this was not the case. _

_Gabriella watched her shaky hands in the mirror and tried to hold back tears as her lip trembled. _

_"Oh Gabi!__ You look beautiful!" her mother cried from the side, dabbing her own tears carefully with a handkerchief._

_"You really think so?" Gabi replied in uncertainty._

_Taylor placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Honey, you look amazing! Troy is gonna die when he sees you!" the maid of honor said excitedly._

_Gabi took a deep breath and took one more long look at herself in the mirror. Her forehead was creased with worry. Gabi knew that she wanted nothing more than to marry Troy, but recently her mind had been haunted with doubts. Troy was now a famous basketball star and his career took up 90 of his time. He was constantly being invited to parties, award shows and charity events and although Gabriella was often invited she didn't have the time to go as her life as a med student was a 24/7 deal. She knew that Troy was always surrounded by beautiful girls and Hollywood stars and while she trusted him completely she couldn't help but think that Troy would rather be with a girlfriend who had time for him and his celebrity lifestyle. _

_ "Ok, is everything ready? Are Kelsi and Martha ready? What about the flowers?? Is the car-" she said in a panic._

_Taylor spun her friend round and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Gabriella!" she said raising her voice, interrupting her friend from her rant. "Everything is going to be fine. I have it all under control. Kelsi and Martha are ready and waiting downstairs, the flowers are here and the cars have been waiting for 10 minutes already! Can you please calm down!" she said in exasperation. _

_"Ok, I'm sorry, I just want everything to be perfect" she said shakily._

_Taylor smiled. "I know and it will be!" she reassured her friend. "Now we really gotta go, we're already late, Troy is gonna think you're not coming!" she said laughing._

_"Taylor honey, why don't you go downstairs and let the driver know we'll be down in five minutes" Gabi's mom said._

_Taylor nodded knowingly and hugged Gabi. "I'll see you down there" she said before opening the hotel room door. "Oh!" she called as she saw what was behind the door. Taylor carefully picked up the massive bouquet of flowers from the floor and walked back over towards Gabriella._

_"These were outside the door" she said smiling as she handed them to a confused Gabi._

_Gabriella looked at the beautiful bouquet in wonder and opened the card. "It says 'To the one I love with all my heart, I can't wait to call you Mrs. Bolton, see you at the altar, love Troy' " Gabi read aloud as she wiped tears from her eyes._

_Taylor wiped a tear from her eye as she watched her best friend._

_"Oh my god!!__ I can't believe this is really happening!" Gabi said half excitedly, half in panic._

_"That is the sweetest thing ever" Taylor said tearfully, laughing at herself for being so emotional. "Now we're both have gonna blotchy mascara!" she complained as she walked back towards the door. "See you soon!" she called to Gabi as she left the hotel room._

_Gabi's mom took the bouquet of flowers from her daughter and laid them on the table. _

_"Gabriella honey, sit down" Gabi's mom said motioning for her daughter to sit beside her on the bed._

_"I've been trying to pick the best moment to do this and now seemed like the perfect opportunity." Gabi's mom began._

_Gabriella stared at her mother intently. "You're not gonna make me cry again are you?" she asked nervously._

_Gabi's mom laughed as fresh tears sprung into her eyes. "Gabi, ever since your father died it's not been easy for us." She said emotionally._

_"Mom…" Gabi began, trying to tell her mother that she didn't have to talk about this._

_"No, let me finish." Her mother said gently. "Ever since he died I've been so busy with work. I threw myself into my job, partly because it took my mind off things and partly because I wanted to make sure you had everything you ever wanted." She continued._

_Gabi began to cry silent tears as she listened to her mother._

_"Every year we had to move and every year you had to leave behind your friends and your school and start over. It broke my heart to see how upset you were. My biggest fear was that you would grow up hating me and you'd become jaded with all the upheaval, but you didn't. You stayed as Gabriella, my beautiful Gabriella. And look at you now, you're all grown up, you're strong and happy, you're doing brilliantly in med school and you're about to marry a wonderful man who will love and cherish you for the rest of your life" she told her daughter as she choked back tears. "I'm so proud of you! And if your father was here I know he would be too" she said as she hugged her daughter._

_Gabi hugged her mom tightly as tears cascaded down her made-up face._

_"Here, I want you to have this" Gabi's mom said as she pulled a small box from her purse. As she opened the box she revealed to Gabi a pearl necklace. "Your father gave it to me on our wedding day" she said tearfully as she handed it to Gabriella. _

_Gabi held the necklace in her hand and stared at it for a while. "It's beautiful. Are you sure you want to give this to me?" she asked tentatively._

_Gabi's mom nodded and covered her daughter's hand with her own. "Yes, it's only right. I want it to be passed along the generations. And then you can give it to your daughter on her wedding day" she said smiling._

_Gabi nodded and hugged her mother before putting the necklace on carefully. It complimented her dress perfectly._

_"Now we better get going, we have a wedding to get to" her mother said excitedly as she and her daughter anxiously left the hotel room._

_As they approached the elevator Gabi's mother suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Oh, you go on ahead honey, I've left my purse in the room" she said quickly as she doubled back and ran down the hall._

_Gabi sighed and looked at her shaking hands as she pressed the button for the elevator. As she heard the bell she looked up to see the elevator doors slide open. To her horror Troy was standing inside the elevator._

_"Troy!!" she shrieked. _

_Troy's eyes went wide when he saw her and he instantly tensed up. "Gabriella!" he shouted in fright._

_"Don't look at me!!" she screamed hysterically. She was determined Troy wouldn't see her in her dress until the ceremony._

_Troy quickly obeyed and covered his eyes with his hand. "You're late!" he said in surprise._

_"That's rich coming from you, you were supposed to be there before me!" she yelled back. _

_Troy mentally kicked himself when he heard the angry tone in her voice. "Can you take the stairs?" he asked, still hiding behind his hands._

_"Not in these shoes!...Ugh!" she sighed loudly. "Just…just turn around and keep your back to me" she said in a harassed tone as she entered the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor._

_As the elevator slowly descended the pair stood in silence, the nervous tension between them building up by the second._

_Gabriella bit her lip and looked over to where Troy was standing. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was. Her eyes glanced over his body and she noticed how edgy he looked. She was stirred from her thoughts as the elevator jolted violently. Gabi grabbed onto the side to steady herself and gasped. "What was that?!" she asked Troy in a panic._

_There was a loud creak and then silence. Troy looked up and listened for a moment before responding. "I think the elevator just broke down" he said in despair._

_Before Gabi had a chance to respond there was another jolt and the lights suddenly went out. "Troy!" Gabi shrieked and threw herself into Troy's arms._

_She clung to him in fear and he held her close to him as he felt the wall with one hand, trying to find the help button. "It's OK, it's gonna be ok" he said to calm her shaking form._

_A small emergency light switched on and illuminated the elevator just enough so that Troy and Gabi could just make each other out in the dull glow. _

_Troy pressed the help button and waited for someone to respond. A moment later a voice was heard over the intercom asking what the problem was. _

_"The elevator has broken down, can you help us? We're supposed to be getting married in 10 minutes" Troy explained._

_"Sorry about that, we're gonna have to call the engineers out. You'll have to sit tight for a while" the man replied._

_Troy sighed loudly as they both slumped to the floor in each others' arms. _

_"I knew this would happen. I knew something would go wrong" Gabi said choking back tears._

_Troy hugged Gabi and placed a kiss on her forehead. "We'll be out of here before we know it" he told her reassuringly._

_Gabi leaned her head against his chest and stared down at her dress which was creasing from her position on the floor. _

_"Well this sure isn't how I imagined our wedding day" she said despairingly. _

_"Me neither" Troy replied with a loud uneven sigh. _

_Minutes passed as the two sat in silence, both of them facing their own fears and replaying them in their minds as they sat together on the cold elevator floor. A short time afterwards the man's voice was once again heard on the intercom. He apologized to the couple and told them that they would have to wait about an hour for the engineer to arrive. Troy and Gabi were already nervous enough and making them wait longer was just making it worse._

_As Troy leaned against the wall he loosened his tie and began to anxiously play with his cuffs._

_Gabriella remained silent as she listened to his shaky breathing and watched him fidget. Eventually she turned to him, looked him in the eye and broke the silence. "What's the matter?" she asked quizzically. _

_Troy mentally panicked at her question. "Nothing!" he answered a little too quickly._

_Gabi remained concerned and took his hand. "Are you claustrophobic?" she asked bewildered. _

_"No, it's not that, it's just…" he replied trailing off as he averted his eyes to the floor._

_"What?!"__ Gabriella asked desperately while searching his face for an answer._

_Troy slowly met her gaze and took a deep shuddering breath. "I'm a little nervous" he replied._

_Troy's soon to be wife eyed him quizzically with an air of relief. "That's ok, I am too, I hate elevators even when they are working" she replied reassuringly._

_Troy sighed. "I wasn't talking about the elevator…I was talking about the wedding" he confessed before staring intently at the floor. _

_Gabi bit her lip and pulled further away from her fiancé, a wave of panic flowing over her as her fears reignited. "Don't you want to marry me?" she asked cautiously, her voice wavering. _

_Troy instantly sat upright. "Of course I do!" he said forcefully before sighing in frustration. "I didn't mean it like that, I just…Gabi you're the love of my life, I guess I was just beginning to think that maybe….maybe I wasn't good enough. Maybe I wasn't enough for you." He admitted honestly, taking a well needed deep breath._

_Gabi met his gaze as she reached out and gently caressed his cheek. "Troy, that's impossible. You're all that I want, I love you so much." She assured him._

_"Maybe right now, but what about next year? Or in five years? What then?" he said vulnerably. _

_Gabi scooted closer to him and clasped his hand in her own. "Time won't change how much I love you, Troy"._

_Troy squeezed her hand tightly. "Is love enough?" he questioned, searching her eyes._

_Gabi instantly released her grasp of his hand. "What are you saying?" she asked, beginning to panic._

_"Gabi, our careers don't mix. The basketball thing is my life, I hardly have enough time to breathe these days let alone spend time with you." He told her honestly._

_"We can make it work" Gabi began pleading._

_"I know, and I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure it does, I'm just worried that somewhere down the line you're gonna realize that you deserve better…that you're gonna regret marrying me."_

_Gabi slowly shook her head in silence as she studied his face. "Troy, that could never happen. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love you. When I think about the future, all I see is you." She confessed._

_Troy met her gaze. "You really mean that?" he asked hopefully. _

_"I really do" she responded sincerely. "Troy, my whole entire life I've loved exactly one person and I can't think of anything I'd rather do than spend my whole life with him" Gabi confessed._

_A small smile developed on Troy's face that was barely visible in the darkness of the elevator. "You have no idea how much that means to me to hear you say that" he admitted. A sudden look of worry took over his features "You were talking about me, right?" he joked._

_Gabi playfully hit him on the arm and Troy reached over and pecked her on the lips._

_"You know, you're not the only one who's been nervous…" Gabi began, biting her lower lip. _

_Troy's face covered with concern "Why were you nervous?" he gently asked, cupping her cheek with his hand._

_"Well… I was just kinda worried that you would feel you were stuck with me, I mean you can do so much better now. You're famous Troy, you have girls throwing themselves at you and you could have anyone you want." She quietly confessed._

_Troy's eyes darted around her face in confusion. "Gabi, you're the only girl I want. Those girls at the parties don't come close. They're nothing like you. And when I'm around them all I can think about is you and how I'd much rather be at home with you. You're the one Gabi, nothing's gonna change that." He told her stroking her cheek with his thumb. _

_Gabi smiled in the dim light and covered his hand with her own._

_"You know the first moment I knew I loved you? That New Years eve, the very first note you sang. That was it for me. And I've been hooked ever since" Troy confessed with a smile. "I never told you this but after I came back to Albuquerque I thought I'd never see you again. I used to lie in bed at night thinking about you, where you were, what you were doing, wondering if you even remembered me. And all I had was a picture of you on my phone." He admitted._

_Gabi's smile widened. "Of course I was thinking about you, how could I forget the one and only Troy Bolton?" she said mockingly, taking his other hand. Gabi looked down at his watch and frowned. As she lifted it closer to inspect it she let out a sigh. "We should have been married by now" she said in disappointment._

_Troy simply kissed her forehead. "There's no rush, we've got plenty of time, we've got the rest of our lives together." At his words Gabi beamed up at her soon to be husband._

_"And besides" Troy continued, "This is gonna be a great story for the grandkids. I mean it's kinda hilarious. How many people can say they were trapped in an elevator with their fiancé on their wedding day?". The pair began to laugh in spite of themselves as they put their worries aside and saw the funny side of their situation._

_"Hey, grandkids?"__ Gabriella said, eyeing him quizzically. "How many of them do you see in our future?" she asked with a giggle._

_Troy lay back comfortably against the wall of the elevator and pulled Gabi down with him. "Oh, a ton of them, definitely enough for me to form my own basketball team with" he said jokingly making Gabi burst into laughter beside him as she rested her head on his chest._

_"You know, I can totally see us sitting on a pier somewhere fifty years from now, grey haired, really big glasses, holding hands and still totally in love" Troy said to Gabi._

_Gabi turned around to face him and whispered in his ear. "I think that sounds perfect" she said smiling before leaning down and leaving a long slow kiss on his lips._

_"You're amazing, you know that?" Gabriella said as she leaned her forehead against Troy's. Troy immediately kissed her again, this time savoring the moment. His hands went to her side as he gently caressed her perfect figure through the white lace. Their kiss grew intensely and Troy found himself lifting Gabi plus all her layers of wedding dress on top of him as the couple continued their make out session. Gabriella let out a moan as Troy left her lips and worked his way down her neck. The trail of kisses he left behind made her shiver. As he reached her shoulder he pushed the wedding dress aside to access more skin and pushed the annoying material down her arm. _

_"Troy wait" Gabriella blurted out with a ragged breath. Troy immediately stopped what he was doing and came face to face with Gabi, just managing to see her expression through the darkness. _

_"We shouldn't. We're in an elevator" she said to her fiancé._

_"Correction, we're stuck in an elevator that isn't moving" Troy replied._

_"Well what if it comes unstuck and we get caught" Gabi said in a panic._

_Troy caressed her cheek with his fingers to soothe and calm her. "It won't, you heard the guy, we're probably gonna be in here an hour…we got plenty of time" _

_Gabi seemed to think this over for a second before quickly giving in. "OK, you're right, where were we?" she asked before immediately meeting his lips in a feverish kiss and attempting to undo the buttons on his waistcoat. She fiddled with them for what seemed like an eternity before exasperatedly pulling away from Troy and sighing in frustration. _

_"Uggh!__ These buttons are too stiff!" she cried. Troy immediately let out a muted laugh at her choice of words which Gabi did not find amusing. _

_"Will you just help me" she requested in annoyance. _

_Troy quickly turned his attention to the troublesome buttons and determinedly began to release them one by one. Once the waistcoat was discarded his attention was brought to the dress while Gabi opened his shirt, massaged his toned body and began kissing his jaw line._

_Troy reached behind Gabi and desperately started searching for some sort of zipping device that would free his bride to be from this restrictive over-priced garment. As he continued to fumble and pull at the material Gabi's muffled voice uttered an instruction as she kissed him. "It's at the side" he managed to interpret were her words after a few seconds. Troy immediately moved to her side and continued his search. _

_"The other side" Gabi said as she pulled away from him and found the zipper herself. She yanked it down so quickly that half way down the zip stubbornly halted and refused to move. _

_"Oh no.." Gabi said in fear._

_"What? What is it?" Troy asked anxiously._

_"I think I just broke the zip…it's jammed!" she exclaimed in panic. Troy felt around in the dark for the zipper to feel for himself. _

_"Are you sure?" he questioned frantically._

_"Well it's not moving, in either direction!" she cried._

_Gabriella sat in despair on top of her half naked boyfriend, her wedding dress hanging around her waist as she surveyed the damage to the zipper in the dull light. "What are we going to do?" she asked him desolately. _

_Troy thought for a moment before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss and pulling her down on top of him. Gabi protested at first and attempted to swat him away before giving into the kiss and forgetting about the dress problem. _

_A loud creaking noise behind them suddenly interrupted the couple and as they whipped around a pool of light filled the dark elevator. As Troy and Gabriella looked towards the light they could see the elevator door had been manipulated open to reveal a brick wall half way up. The other half contained the stunned faces of the engineer, Gabi's mom, Troy's parents, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Ryan, Martha, Jason & Zeke. _

_There was a moment of deafening silence as the gang stood open mouthed, stunned by the discovery of their semi-naked friends. Gabriella instantly lifted her dress back up to cover her top half and clung to it while burying her crimson face in Troy's chest…_

--

--

-

"Ok, you have never told us that part before" Zac exclaimed, half in shock, half in disgust.

Gabriella smiled wryly at her son. "And for good reason, it's hardly kid friendly".

"Exactly mom! And I'm 16, I'm still a kid, why would you inflict that on me?!" Zac replied feeling slightly nauseous.

"You said you wanted to hear the story" Gabriella reminded him in amusement.

Zac regarded his mother disdainfully. "Well perhaps in future you should give out pre-warnings on content and rating" he suggested dryly.

Gabriella just smiled at her son and his reaction. They were very close and always had been, he was her first born and only son. She was close to all of her children but she and Zac shared a special bond. He had been forced to grow up too quickly and for that she felt partially responsible but the truth is without him there to support her she wouldn't have made it through the last few years.

"So is that the end of the story?" Zac asked, realizing he had interrupted the end.

"Pretty much" Gabi nodded. "We got married and we lived happily ever after…" she replied, suddenly realizing what she had said the moment it had left her mouth. The pair looked away from each other, suddenly being brought back to reality.

The whole family had faced a lot of heartache since Troy's diagnosis. Throughout the whole ordeal Gabi had remained secretly optimistic, or rather, in denial that her perfect life could one day crumble. She had clung to her hopes that everything would work out against her better judgment and now she was paying the price. All too quickly her world was falling apart and she was having to face reality for the first time. But while Troy's future hung in the balance downstairs, Gabriella, ignoring her duties as a wife and mother, preferred to hide on the rooftop and remember the happier times.

Recounting her wedding story to her son had not only allowed her to forget about her current situation, it had reminded her of the strong bond she shared with Troy. They had been untouchable, they were the perfect couple, they were Jack and Rose without the boat! A new feeling of guilt washed over her as she realized what she had to do. She had to be there for her husband, she had to face the music, she had to go back downstairs.

--

I hope that wasn't too long, I have a tendency to babble! If you liked it, or hated it please tell me!! Go on, press the button, say something, anything! You know you want to. Reviews make me write faster so if you would like another chapter please be kind and make my day? Muchos love! xoxo


	7. Through The Dark

**Title: **Such Sweet Sorrow  
**Author: **EllaKnight22  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!  
**Rating: **T  
**Pairing: **Troyella!!!  
**Summary: **Gabriella breaks down crying on an abandoned rooftop and is joined by a young man. They reminisce together as they try to make sense of the cruel hand fate has dealt them. What's their story? What is going on in the building below? Who is the young man? Story told through flashbacks. Mix of Angst/Tragedy/Romance/Fluff.

**A/N: **Once again sorry that it's taken so long to update this story! However I hope that the length of the chapters makes up for that! I now have the rest of the story completely planned, I just need to actually write it. There will be 11 chapters in total. I am really busy with my dissertation though so I can't promise fast updates but rest assured I WILL finish this story eventually! Promise! Lol. Thank you so much for all the reviews so far, I love them, I love you guys, you're all awesome!! Big shout out to my dedicated reviewers who bring me happiness and joy at each chapter – Line101, unknownbyhim22 and hsmgal142! I give you all chocolate covered Zac Efron shaped cookies!! Hehe!

Now on with le story!! Peace xxx

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With a look of silent resolve in her eyes Gabi slowly but confidently stood up from her spot on the cold rooftop and took a deep breath. She cast her eyes towards the heavy door and mentally prepared herself as her feet began to take her towards it at a steady pace.

Zac looked on for a few seconds, watching his mother walk towards the door, not quite believing what he was seeing. He scrambled to his feet and followed her, his features relaxing as the feeling of relief took over him. "Mom! You're going back down?" he said eagerly.

"I have to" Gabriella replied without even turning around.

Zac smiled widely and caught up with her. "What changed your mind?!" he asked in astonishment. Gabriella turned to face him, standing inches from the door. "Being reminded about what's important, being reminded about what really matters." She thoughtfully replied. "Your father and I have been through a lot, but we got through it together, and today is no different. I have to go back down and convince him that we can get through this together. We can fight it together" she told him resolutely as she reached for the door handle.

Zac felt like he had been kicked in the stomach, the hopes he previously harbored were gone. She still didn't understand. "Mom, wait" he called as his mother looked back at him from the doorway. "You still don't get it" he spat out, not caring about how harsh his tone of voice was.

Gabriella remained silent with an angered look on her face.

"You still don't understand what any of this is all about, what he's going through down there, what he's been going through for the past two years, anything! You say you love him and you want him to keep on fighting, but it's not because you're thinking about him, you're only thinking about yourself!" Zac said angrily.

Deep down he hated himself for being so harsh with his mother but at this point he needed to be honest with her. He knew that what she needed now was someone to spell it out for her and bring her back to reality.

"Excuse me?" Gabi choked out, not quite believing how cruel her son was being to her.

"What are you gonna do if you go down there and after trying to convince him he still says No?" Zac retorted.

"He won't" Gabriella hotly replied. "I'll convince him he has to, if not for me then for you and your sisters!" she yelled back.

"Mom, dad is going to die, OK? Nothing can stop that, nothing can change that. It's going to happen no matter what you do." Zac replied loudly.

Gabi reached forward and instinctively slapped his cheek hard, causing him to step back and hold his face. As soon as her hand left his swollen cheek she took a sharp intake of air, realizing what she had just done. Her hand flew to her mouth and tears sprang from her eyes. "Oh my god baby, I'm so, so sorry" she said through her tears. Tentatively she reached out to place a comforting hand on his arm but he flinched away and walked over towards the railings.

Gabriella began to cry and slowly made her way over to the railings standing a little away from her son. This was the first time in all her sixteen years as a parent that she had ever struck one of her children. "I'm so sorry, Zac, I don't know what came over me" she said apologetically. Zac stood watching the night sky, his eyes welling up. He couldn't face her.

"You're right, I know you are. Deep down I knew it all along. I guess my heart was just afraid that if I admitted it to myself I wouldn't be able to cope anymore."

The pair stood in silence as her revelation resonated through the cold air. Neither of them being able to say anything more.

Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at her only son. She could see the tear stains on his face, shining in the moonlight. Clutching her own eyes shut at the sight ,she felt like her heart was being ripped in two. It had taken her sixteen year old son to get her to face up to the reality of what was happening and through all his valiant efforts to make her realize the truth he was the one paying the price.

Gabi slowly bridged the gap between them and gently pulled her son into a comforting hug. This time Zac didn't flinch away, he allowed her to soothe him, he needed his mom and Gabi knew it was time that she started being the parent again.

"You know, when you were born your dad was at a game. He jumped on the first flight back as soon as he heard but he didn't get to meet you until you were two hours old. Your grandma was there for a while but after she went home and for an hour before your dad got there it was just you and me. I remember sitting in the hospital just holding you and watching you sleep. I couldn't take my eyes off you. I watched you breathing the whole time, I was just mesmerized. You were so tiny and so perfect. I kept thinking, what did I do to deserve something as amazing as you? From the moment I first laid my eyes on you I loved you more than I've ever loved anything. In that moment all the worries, all the doubts I had were gone forever, because right then I knew that you were the most important thing in the world." Gabriella told her son, consoling him.

"But if it wasn't for me you would have finished med school" Zac wearily said. "Surely you had some regrets". Zac had always known that when he came along his mother had dropped out of Medical School and he had always felt like it was somehow his fault that his mother had given up on her dream career.

Gabriella shook her head "I could have finished med school if I wanted to, it was my decision. But I chose you" she told him honestly as she gave him a kiss on the nose. Gabi smiled at her son and made contact with his blue eyes, Troy's blue eyes. "Don't ever think you held me back from anything, because you didn't. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing" she said reassuringly.

"Not a thing" she said wistfully as she held him close and gazed out into the night sky…

-

--

---

_**November, 2013**_

_Gabriella unlocked the door to her LA apartment and hurried inside. Troy was out at his basketball practice and wouldn't be back for a few hours. She was deep in thought as she closed the door behind her and made her way over to the coffee table. Sitting down on the leather sofa she placed her keys on the table and fixed her gaze on the picture frame in front of her. It was Troy and Gabriella on their wedding day, a mere five months ago. She half smiled as she remembered the day fondly. _

_Finding her feet again she wandered through to the master bedroom and flopped down on the bed, exhausted. After staring at the ceiling for a while she eventually looked over to her purse and reached in. Gabriella cautiously pulled out a small box and examined it closely. It was a pregnancy test. _

_Gabi had had suspicions that she was pregnant for weeks but had put them to the back of her mind. Maybe she was just stressed? Her midterm exams had only just finished the day before and she hadn't been getting much sleep with all the studying. It was perfectly plausible that the headaches, the nausea and the missed periods could all be blamed on stress. Med school was no easy ride. _

_As she thought of this the comfortable mattress began to soothe her worries and she found herself gently drifting off to sleep..._

_*****_

_As the front door slammed shut three hours later Gabriella woke up startled. The room was in darkness._

"_Gabriella?" Troy called from the hallway._

_Gabi quickly remembered the pregnancy test box in her hand and shoved it under a pillow as Troy entered the dark room. Upon seeing her lying on the bed he made his way over to the bedside table and put on the lamp as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey" he whispered softly as he noticed that she was just waking up._

_Gabriella sat up and pulled her husband into a hug as she rested her head on his shoulder._

_Troy immediately returned the hug, pulling her closer and gently stroking her back. "You ok?" he asked her soothingly. Troy knew just how stressed Gabriella had been lately with Medical school and was beginning to worry about how ill she had gotten._

_Gabriella sighed. "I'm fine now that you're here" she told him honestly as she pulled back and met his gaze. _

_Troy lovingly moved some strands of hair away from her face and stroked her cheek, studying her expression worriedly. "Did you have a bad day?" he asked._

_Gabriella shook her head and gave a weak smile. "No, but there's something we have to talk about, Troy" she began as she bit her lip._

_Troy searched her face for answers as she turned away from him and reached under the pillow to retrieve the pregnancy test. Wordlessly she handed the box to him and watched for his reaction._

_Troy took one look at the box and froze. After the shock had set in he looked between Gabriella and the test. "Oh my god, Gabi, are you…?" he stammered._

"_I don't know, I haven't taken the test yet, I couldn't do it without you" she honestly replied, a hint of vulnerability in her voice._

_Troy took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Let's do it now" he said, eager to find out the results._

"_Troy, wait._ _We need to talk about this first." Gabi insisted. Troy nodded in agreement but waited for Gabi to say something first._

"_I just want to make sure that whatever the result, we're prepared for it. How do you feel about this?" she asked him tentatively._

_Troy took a deep breath and thought about it for a few seconds. "Well I know we spoke about kids before and we both want them, but I guess this is a little earlier than we planned." He admitted while rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, what about medical school, you still have another two years left, how would you cope?" he asked worriedly._

_Gabriella continued to chew on her bottom lip as she averted his gaze. "I don't know." She hopelessly replied before sighing loudly. "I guess I could take a year out? Go back when I'm ready?" she suggested half heartedly._

_Troy sensed her lack of enthusiasm and squeezed her hand gently. "But?" he carefully asked._

_Gabriella sighed again and faced him. "But I've been thinking about it and I don't want to be a part-time mom. If this test is positive, I couldn't just have our baby and then leave him or her with a sitter for two years while I finish med school. It wouldn't be fair and I don't think I'd be able to do it Troy. Between your basketball career and me at med school, we don't have time for a baby." she confessed._

_Troy was perplexed and stared at her blankly. "What are you saying?" he asked worriedly._

_Gabriella took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. "I'm saying that if the test is positive, I'm dropping out of medical school." _

_Troy was in shock at her statement and looked at her as if she was crazy. "You want to quit med school?? Gabi it's your dream! You've wanted to be a doctor pretty much as long as I've known you." He replied in astonishment._

_Gabriella nodded and smiled. "I know, but I've wanted to be a mother for longer." She truthfully replied._

"_And I'm sure you'll make a great one! But do you really have to sacrifice your dream career?" he asked in confusion._

"_Troy having a family with you is my dream too. When I was growing up my mother always put her job first. It was like I wasn't as important. I knew she loved me but I still wish she'd had more time for me. When we have kids I want to do it right. I want to be there for them." Gabriella confessed._

"_You've really thought long and hard about this haven't you" Troy responded._

_Gabi nodded her head. "I have and I've made my decision." She confidently said._

_Troy was in shock, he hadn't had the last two weeks to think it over, it had just been sprung on him suddenly. He had known his wife for eight years and knew just how important becoming a doctor had been to her, everyone knew how much she loved medical school. Could she really give it all up? "So if this test is positive, you're quitting med school to be a stay at home mom" he asked her again, needing clarification. Gabi nodded silently._

"_And if it's negative?" he queried._

"_If it's negative then I continue with medical school…and we try to be more careful" she said sheepishly._

_Troy gulped and looked at the floor guiltily. "I just can't believe you would make such a huge sacrifice. You've always wanted to be a doctor" _

"_I know, but I could always go back to med school sometime in the future. Besides, it's not like we need two salaries coming in, Mr. NBA star" she said smiling._

_Troy nodded and stared at her for a moment, still trying to decide if this was what she really wanted. He leaned forward and kissed her sweetly before picking up the pregnancy test. "You ready?" he asked her._

_Gabi took a deep breath and slowly nodded as she hesitantly took the test from him and made her way into the bathroom. _

_A couple of minutes later she reappeared and sat on the edge of the bed beside Troy, her hands shaking. This was really happening. After weeks of wondering reality was finally beginning to set in and Gabi's conflicting emotions were confusing her. Troy surveyed his nervous wife before taking her hand and pulling her towards him. Gabi instantly welcomed the invitation and sat on his knee as he pulled her into a tight embrace. _

"_Troy?" Gabi shakily said after a minute._

_Troy was lost in his own world, his thoughts racing throughout his head. "Yeah?" he answered._

"_What do you want? Honestly?" she said as she turned to face him, her brown eyes boring into his blue ones._

_Troy didn't have to think about his answer. "Honestly? I want us to have a family. I know we both want that." he began. _

_Gabi instantly relaxed and took a well needed breath._

"_I can't think of anything more amazing than us having a baby that we both created." He told her sincerely. "But I can wait for that. If it's going to happen soon, that's great, if it's going to happen in a few years, that's ok too. Mostly, I want you to be happy." He truthfully responded._

_Gabi smiled and wondered how Troy managed to be so perfect._

"_What do you really want?" he asked in another attempt to figure out if Gabi would really be ok with leaving med school._

_Gabi thought for a moment before responding. "If it's negative I guess I'll be happy because I'll get to continue with med school. If it's positive I'll be happy too because we'll get the family we both want" She told him._

_Troy surveyed her face unconvincingly. "Wouldn't you rather wait?" he prodded._

_Gabi sighed "I don't know, Troy, I don't know." She hopelessly confessed._

_Troy hugged her tighter as he saw tears spring into her eyes. As he glanced down at his watch he saw that the three minutes was well and truly up. "Gabi, you can check the test now, it's time" he said quietly._

_Gabi stayed in his embrace for a few moments before slowly untangling herself from him and standing up. She stood glued to the spot for a moment before turning round to face her husband. "I can't do it, Troy, you'll have to do it" she said passing on the responsibility._

_Troy wordlessly stood up from the bed and cupped Gabi's face in his strong hands before kissing her tenderly. She melted into his embrace as she gently wrapped her arms around him. As Troy pulled back he rested his forehead against hers. "It's ok, it's gonna be ok" he whispered calmly before releasing her and making his way into their bathroom._

_Gabi shakily sat down on the bed again and began to chew her fingers nervously. Troy instantly reappeared in the doorway and the pair locked eyes, neither of them daring to speak._

_Without taking his eyes off Gabi, Troy silently made his way over to the bed. Gabi stood up as he came towards her and took his hands in her own, intertwining their fingers._

"_It's negative" Troy announced while studying her reaction closely._

_Gabi's face remained blank as she looked at Troy. After a moment she averted his gaze and looked to the floor. The revelation that she was not pregnant came as a blow to her. At that moment she realized what she had really wanted deep down. _

"_You ok?" Troy asked as he noticed how upset she looked._

_Gabi quickly forced a smile and gulped back the lump that was forming in her throat. "Yeah, I'm fine" she said unconvincingly. "I told you I'd be fine either way" she said avoiding his eyes. "Anyway I better make a start on dinner, it's getting late" she said excusing herself as she pulled away from Troy and headed for the door._

_Troy quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back around to face him. "Gabi, wait" he swiftly said. "I'm sorry, I had to make sure this was what you wanted" he said apologetically._

_As Gabi stared at him in confusion Troy began to smile. "I lied, it's positive. We're having a baby" he confessed._

_Gabi stopped breathing for a moment as realization set in before breaking into a huge grin and throwing herself into his arms. Troy laughed and spun her around before carefully placing her back onto the floor and kissing her passionately. Gabi pulled back to look at him in amazement, tears were running down her face. "I can't believe it, we're really having a baby!" she cried._

_Troy held her close as her emotions got the better of her. "Why are you crying?" he asked in bemusement. _

"_Because I'm happy!" she replied laughing and crying at the same time. "I can't believe you did that to me!" she shrieked before playfully swatting his arm. _

_Troy laughed at her feeble attempt to hurt him and pulled her closer. "I love you" he said sincerely as he gazed into her teary chocolate brown eyes._

_Gabriella's smile widened as her hormones caused more tears to fall. "I love you too" she choked out emotionally as she ran her fingers through his hair._

_Troy kissed her forehead lovingly before picking her up and walking through to the front room with her. Gabi yelped in surprise. "Troy where are you taking me?" she asked with a giggle._

_Troy laughed and tried to be serious "You need to start taking care of yourself and our baby, and that's why you are going to relax while I cook dinner" he told her as he set her down on the sofa._

_Gabi raised her eyebrows at him "By cook you mean phone for a pizza right?"_

_Troy grinned as he grabbed the phone. "You know me too well" he replied as he flopped onto the sofa beside Gabriella..._

_---_

_--_

_-_

Gabriella and Zac stood in silence together after Gabi had finished her story. A loud ambulance siren rang through the night air as the vehicle approached the hospital below. The sound jolted them from their thoughts as they both looked over the railings to see the goings on below.

"I hate hospitals" Gabi confessed as she watched an elderly woman being rushed into the building on a stretcher. "When I was a medical student I loved going to work every day, meeting new people, helping them…but then when I was older I started to experience it from the other side. First when you fell off your high chair and hit your head, then when Abby was born and she nearly died, then all the appointments and treatments with your dad over the years and his operation. That was the worst. I really thought I was going to lose him."

Gabi shut her eyes tightly at the thought as memories of that time assaulted her mind.

-

--

---

_**July, 2024**_

_The room was still but the cacophony of different sounds was deafening. The monitor above the bed was beeping along with Troy's pulse and making its alarm sound whenever something wasn't quite right. The ventilator worked away loudly in the corner and made the occasionally beep and the various pumps giving Troy medication shrilled loudly when they were almost empty. As Gabi sat on the uncomfortable plastic chair she focused her attention on the limp form of Troy in front of her. He was barely recognizable through the metal bars of the bedside, under the tubes and wires that surrounded him and the ventilator that hid his features. His blue eyes which usually shined brightly were closed. His skin was pale. His hair was messy and partly covered with visibly blood soaked bandages and matted together with that horrible red liquid they used to sterilize the area. Everything about him that made him Troy was gone. _

_Gabi had been expecting this, a countless number of nurses and doctors had prepared both her and Troy for the post-op nightmares that would follow the operation to remove his brain tumor. This was only in theory though as Gabi quickly realized upon seeing him for the first time after his surgery that nothing could have prepared her for seeing her husband, her lover, her high school sweetheart… her soulmate, so devoid of life and hanging on by a thread._

_Gabriella tentatively reached out her shaking hand and clasped it around Troy's. It was cold and limp. The feeling of it made Gabi ill and she had to fight off the urge to be sick. As she surveyed the machines and tubes invading her husband's body she suddenly regretted ever attending medical school. The knowledge it had given her was dangerous as she understood what the equipment was for and what the monitors were saying. The term 'ignorance is bliss' had never made more sense to her than right now. Troy had an arterial line in his wrist, a pulse oximeter on his finger, a blood pressure cuff and IV on his other arm, a central line in his neck, drains from the wound in his head, an NG tube going down his nose into his stomach to stop him from being sick, EKG leads on his chest and a ventilator in his mouth going into his lungs to breath for him. _

_Gabriella felt utterly terrified and totally useless. She observed Troy's nurse closely as she recorded everything in the notes and checked the equipment regularly. Gabriella could tell when something concerned her but wasn't brave enough to ask what was wrong, instead she focused on Troy's cold hand in her own shaky one. _

_The nurse took a sample of Troy's blood and briefly left the room, only to return with the doctor who spoke in hushed tones as the pair inspected the drains and monitors. Why were they whispering? There must be something wrong. Something Gabi was not meant to hear. As she silently panicked about this she felt Troy's cold hand flinch and instantly stood up to get a better view. Gabriella opened her mouth to call his name but no sound came out. She wanted to hug him, to hold him and reassure him but the machines restricted her contact with him. _

"_I…I think he's waking up" she quietly called._

_The nurse and doctor both approached Troy's bed and observed his subtle movements. Wordlessly the nurse turned to the infusion pump and began fiddling with it, confirming her actions with the doctor. The doctor then turned to Gabi and smiled weakly. "We're just giving him more sedation to prevent him from waking up too soon. His ICP is higher than we'd like it and he needs more time to heal before he wakes up" he informed her._

_Gabi nodded in understanding but was beyond disappointed. She needed to see Troy's blue eyes again, she needed to hear his voice, feel his touch…but now she would have to wait longer to have him back. She sunk back into the chair again as tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to fall. _

_The nurse came and sat beside Gabriella placing a comforting hand on her arm. "He's going to be like this for another few hours, maybe it would be best if you went home and got some rest, saw your kids and then came back later tonight?" she suggested._

_Gabriella gulped hard as her tears began to fall. "I can't…I can't leave him like this" she choked out._

"_Troy will be fine here, nothing's going to happen while you're gone. You're exhausted, you'll be no use to him like this when he wakes up. Go home and rest for a few hours. I promise I will call you immediately if there is any change." She reassured the distraught brunette._

_Gabi thought for a moment, it made sense but the thought of abandoning him when he was like this was too painful. _

"_It's ok" the nurse gently spoke._

_Gabriella looked over to Troy and instantly felt guilty but knew that it made sense. She slowly got up from the chair and stared at her husband one last time. She wanted to kiss him but couldn't get near him. Instead she reached out and stroked his temple with her fingertips. "I love you" she whispered as her teardrops fell onto the white bed sheet. With one last glance around the chilling room she left and made her way to the exit. Gabi kept her composure as she walked through the halls feeling totally numb, the busy corridor was bustling but Gabriella couldn't hear a thing. Slowly she approached the exit and the automatic doors opened as she neared them. The cold air hit her hot face and the tearstains on her cheeks instantly turned icy cold. She stood still for a moment and breathed deeply, as if the hospital building had been physically suffocating her and she was now gasping for air. _

_Gabriella suddenly felt her stomach clench and felt a rush of acid in her throat. She turned around and grabbed onto the wall for support as she began to wretch and her stomach contents emptied onto the ground below. As the wave of sickness passed she stood up and leaned her back against the wall trying to control her breathing. _

_Suddenly her cell phone began to vibrate in her pocket and Gabi quickly fumbled around to get to it. "Hello?" she said answering it hastily._

"_Gabi, it's me, how's Troy?" her mother asked from the other end of the line. A crying baby could be heard in the background._

_Gabi began to tear up at the mention of his name. "I dunno mom. He's still asleep. They don't know anything yet" she choked out. "I'm coming back for a few hours, I'll be home soon. How are the kids?" she asked in worry._

"_They're fine but they want to talk to you." Maria Montez tiredly replied._

"_Ok, put them on" Gabriella said clearing her throat as she made her way to her car._

"_Mommy!_ _When are you coming back?" a clearly upset Abby cried._

"_I'm coming home soon sweetie, I'll see you real soon ok?" Gabi soothingly replied._

"_Did the doctors make daddy's head better?" the little girl asked hopefully._

_Gabriella began to cry at the question but tried her best to stop her voice from faltering. "They've tried really hard baby, now we just have to wait and see, ok?" _

"_Ok, I love you mommy" Abby called into the receiver. _

"_Love you too sweetie" Gabi replied before she heard the phone being handed to her son._

"_Mom, Abby said you're coming home" Zac said._

"_I am honey, I'll be back in about half an hour" she told her eldest child._

"_Does that mean dad's OK?" he tentatively asked. _

_Gabriella sighed, she didn't want to lie to her children but it was difficult explaining the situation to them. "Well he's sleeping so he's ok for now." She hesitantly replied._

"_Ok, see you soon mom, love you" he said before handing the phone back to his grandma._

"_Love you too, honey" Gabriella replied with a weak smile._

"_Drive safe now, OK?" Maria called down the line._

"_I will mom. Is that Chloe I can hear crying?" she asked._

"_Yeah, she's been really cranky today and hasn't stopped fussing. Ella is fine though" her mother honestly replied._

"_Put her up to the phone please" Gabi requested as she got into her car. _

"_Ok, hang on" Maria replied._

_Gabriella heard the sound of her crying baby get louder as the phone was placed next to her ear._

"_Shhhhh baby, mommy's here." Gabriella called calmingly down the phone before she began to sing. _

"_Can you imagine, What would happen, If we could have any dream…" she sang sweetly._

"_I'd wish this moment, Was ours to own it, And that it would never leave. Then I would thank that star, That made our wish come true. Cos he knows that where you are, Is where I should be too" Gabriella continued as tears filled her eyes and her mind was filled with bittersweet thoughts of Troy._

_The baby on the other end quieted down as Gabi finished the song. _

"_She stopped crying when she heard you singing" Maria told her daughter down the phone in amusement._

_Gabriella sat there in floods of tears, unable to speak._

"_Gabriella? Are you Ok?" Maria worriedly called._

_Gabriella quickly cleared her throat as she wiped away tears from her eyes. "I'm fine, mom" she unconvincingly choked out. "I'll be home soon" she said before hanging up her cell and breaking down inside her car._

_---_

_--_

_-_

"You know, I don't think I'd ever felt totally alone until that day" Gabriella mused.

Zac looked at his mother as she finished telling her heart-wrenching story.

"Me and your dad…we're just…it's like we're one person." She began. "The day of his operation it felt like someone had taken a piece of me away, like I'd been ripped apart." Gabi confessed.

"I honestly don't know what I'll do if…" Gabriella suddenly stopped and cleared her throat, feeling the need to correct herself. "_when_…he dies." She said the last part slowly.

"I don't know what I'll do without him" she told her son shakily.

Gabriella noticed that Zac had began to cry and she wrapped her arms around him, the pair consoling each other as they thought of the bleak future ahead of them.

----------

Oh no! It's not looking good! Poor Troy :'( Ok, please don't hate me for putting it out there that Troy IS going to die. This story will not have a happy ending. Sorry! But from the beginning I wanted this story to be as realistic as possible, so there isn't going to be a magical cure at the end. However that doesn't mean that it won't have surprises/romance/more fluff etc. Anyway I don't want to give too much away so I'm going to stop typing now!

A couple of people have left reviews or private messaged me to say that the themes in this story are affecting them in real life. I hope that this story does some justice to your own personal situations and that the content here doesn't offend or upset you. Thank you for reading and my prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, craved, loved and like a drug! Please cheer me up, inspire me and ultimately make me write faster by hitting that little button over there and telling me what you think! Or if you hate it or have comments or suggestions I would also love to hear from you! Thank you! xoxo


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